Communication costs in science: evidence from the National Science Foundation Network.

This article investigates how connection to the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET), an early version of the Internet established in 1985, affected scientific output and citation patterns among top U.S. research universities from 1981 to 1999. Using detailed data on the timing of institutions' connection to NSFNET and publication records across 20 scientific disciplines, the study finds that joining the NSFNET increased average citations per paper by roughly 10%, driven primarily by middle- and top-tier institutions. The increase in citations was due to a rise in within-discipline citations and a decline in interdisciplinary citations, while collaboration rates between institutions remained largely unchanged. These findings suggest that reduced communication costs via NSFNET fostered greater specialization within scientific fields rather than promoting interdisciplinary research, highlighting the role of information and communication technologies in shaping knowledge production and the flow of scientific information.