Science as a corpus of scientific statements is a simplified image; science is a social phenomenon, inseparable from the context, to which scientific information also belongs. It brings us not only the contents of what science holds, but also the image of science, scientific roles, research priorities, and many others. It is not only that institutions, products and routines of scientific information reflect the features of scientific endeavours; they also point to what is important and worth making an effort. They surround the scholar as a "white noise", distributing a set of values, which are not fully verbalized and which are not openly taught. In earlier decades the dominating motifs were the scientific Weltanschauung and the respect for hierarchies in scientific communities. Currently, in Poland, it is publishing in journals. Institutions of scientific information strengthen and proliferate that model, and a cultural complex has emerged, with articles and their citations as its constitutive features. Theoretically, the system of scientific information is designed to support also empirical research and data collecting. It is obvious, however, that these elements are not only less vulnerable to parameters; they are also not so directly linked to individual success. And just this remains an object of everlasting desire, preserving mental barriers, which keep the scientific endeavour in Poland far from teamwork and social responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]