The importance of human relationships in scientific productivity

Fifty Brazilian scientists working in life sciences were interviewed in order to explore reasons of bursts and falls in their scientific productivity. Scientists recognize specific periods of time of their career during which they are more productive. Bursts of productivity are influenced mainly by human relationships and, to a lower extent, by material conditions (equipment, grants, etc), time dedicated to work and reasons linked to the kind of work carried out. The most productive scientists tend to attribute more importance to human relations than their colleagues with lower productivity scores. Some possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed.