Abstract :
How do scientists and engineers get their information? In the Department of Defense, according to a recent study, the technical man about half the time gets the information he needs from colleagues, personal files, or departmental files. Such "informal" sources of information were more widely used than "formal" sources like libraries and information centers. About 30 percent of the time the information is conveyed in verbal, rather than written, form. The major written medium of communication is the technical report.