Using Domain Analysis and Organisational Theory to Understand e-Science Sustainability
Dr Jenny Fry, Professor Mike Thelwall
Dr Jenny Fry
Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford,
One St. Giles, Oxford OX1 3JS, United Kingdom
Professor Mike Thelwall
Statistical Cybermetrics Research Group, School of Computing & Information Technology, University of Wolverhampton,
Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1SB, United Kingdom
Email address of corresponding author: jenny.fry@oii.ox.ac.uk
This paper addresses the issue of sustainability for e-science initiatives by describing a novel evaluation methodology: e-science spectroscopy. It explores sustainability in relation to the work organization and disciplinary structures of research communities and illustrates that current usability theory needs to be refined for the specialised needs of e-social science. The exploitation of novel technologies to support e-social science will be a challenging process because of the necessity to synthesize a wide variety of work practices, collaboration structures and institutional arrangements. Domain experts are often unaware of how the ideologies, assumptions and technical language that they use in their day-to-day work shape their perception of what valid science is, how it should be performed, and the way they interact with scientists from other domains. This contributes to the `not invented here' syndrome that plagues researchers and undermines trust in the use of new technologies that do not fit with existing work practices and incentive systems. This paper contributes towards a better understanding of this process by discussing conceptual frameworks for understanding why science should be seen as a deceptively varied activity: the institutional organization of knowledge into disciplines can mask different research styles, communication patterns and information needs even within disciplinary boundaries.
