Communality

Definition: The common ownership of scientific results and methods and the consequent imperative to share both freely. Communality is based on the fact that every scientific finding is seen as a product of the effort of a number of agents. This norm is followed when scientists openly share their new findings with colleagues.

Alternative definition: Communism (in Merton, 1942)

Related terms: Mertonian norms, Objectivity

References: Anderson et al. (2010), Hardwicke (2014), & Merton (1938, 1942)

Drafted and Reviewed by: David Moreau, Ashley Blake, Mahmoud Elsherif, Charlotte R. Pennington, Beatrice Valentini

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