Impact of Information Technology on Research in Science and Engineering

摘要

There is little research on the impact of information technology (IT) on how research is carried out by scientists and engineers. This paper draws on other bodies of writings which indirectly shed light on this question. Included are: the role of calculation in research, scientific productivity, the philosophical underpinnings of science and technology, systems analysis, and the use of computer aided design in engineering. A model is developed which helps identify the types of impact that IT may have on social system and epistemological aspects of research. Factors are hypothesized which may explain why IT may have particular effects in any given research endeavor. (ERA citation 12:049224)