A note on an international invisible college for information exchange

This paper presents the first empirical sociometric evidence of an international invisible college for information exchange. Using sociometric techniques and ratings of professional status as a researcher, a highly elite invisible college was identified which crossed international boundaries. Members of this elite group were found to be in relatively frequent contact with one another and were considered by the professional community in high energy physics, the context of this study, to be doing the most important work in the area. An important part of the information infrastructure of this invisible college consists of intermediaries who perform a gatekeeping and linkage function. Selected differences in communication behavior between the key people of the invisible college and the intermediaries is noted briefly. Also selected communication differences are noted between members of the invisible college and a matched sample wholly outside this special information network. The paper concludes with suggested questions for future studies.