Production and scientific communication as strategies for the professional formation of information scientist

Abstract

Information scientists are required to regularly review the conceptions of the two elements – production and scientific communication – which are considered important strategies for their training. So, at the beginning the paper reviews the broad notions of science. In referring to the scientific production, the controversy always revolves around an old thread, and paradoxically, a current one: the production per se or the productivism, i.e. the importance of quality or quantity. Of course, that information scientists bring to light innovative and relevant knowledge to strengthen its role among the societies, must take into account the inevitable intertwining between production and communication for the advancement of science and technology. This is because, in Brazil, there is a great prevalence of evaluative measures originated from agencies to graduate teaching and research. These procedures are frequently controversial, since they tend to disregard the uniqueness of areas and sub-areas, themes and also the differences between the Brazilian regions. From this perspective, the main objective of this paper is to study the productivity as productive efficiency and performance quality rather than the academic productivism resulting from regulation and the “official” evaluation, whose striking feature is the emphasis on the quantitative aspect of production to the detriment quality in the most different segments of the contemporary society. For this, it uses the descriptive methodological reference procedures, supported by current bibliographic sources which do not lead to univocal solutions nor definitive conclusions, but the reflections about its relevance for vocation training of information scientist, opposing exacerbated productivism.