What is the cycle of information generated when a scholar comes up with a research idea?

• A scientist wonders whether a particular gene could be related to the development of Multiple Sclerosis
• A sociologist suspects there could be a connection between serial killers and their having been abused as children
• An economist wonders what impact group psychology played on the worldwide economic collapse
• A literary scholar wants to know what impact modern technology has had on literary creativity

1st stage: Invisible College information -- email, memos, conversations, lab data -- is often how an idea develops among researchers.

Invisible College information is not easily accessible, however, because it doesn't get published and is often only available to a small group of people; hence, "invisible."

2nd stage: Research reports (conference proceedings, unpublished papers, grant reports, letters to the editor) are the second stage.

• At conferences, researchers present their findings to an audience of peers, often to get feedback as their research develops.
• If a researcher gets a grant, they must write up their findings to justify the grantor's funding.

These reports are usually published within a year, but may not be readily available through standard search tools.

3rd stage: Journal articles (more in-depth coverage; description of completed research) may follow within two years depending on whether they are published in print or electronically. In many cases, these articles will include a basic structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.

Popular books and articles may also come out in the 3rd stage in order to report on the research and make it accessible to the general audience.

4th stage: Scholarly books and textbooks, single-subject or interdisciplinary, may be compilations of differing viewpoints that refer to the original research. Book publishing may take an additional year after journal articles appear.

5th stage: Reference books (encyclopedias, etc) will place the research findings in the general context of all knowledge on a topic and may not be seen for 1-2 years after the books.