Abstract: We argue that a key question for the comparison of the field-specific shaping of scientific communication systems in the Digital Age is the identification and characterization of the unit of research: scientific collectives and their communication cultures. We address this conceptual and methodological challenge using a combination of ethnographic methods and network analysis. In this paper we present a basic methodological approach that we have developed in a pilot study of research groups in chemistry. Our first results underline the value of combining quantitative and qualitative methods. 1

scale-free networks to support the search for

Utilizing scale-free networks to support the search for scientific publications. Author:

While the importance of literature studies in the IS discipline is well recognized, little attention has been paid to the underlying structure and method of conducting effective literature reviews. Despite the fact that literature is often used to refine the research context and direct the pathways for successful research outcomes, there is very little evidence of the use of resource management tools to support the literature review process. In this paper we want to contribute to advancing the way in which literature studies in Information Systems are conducted, by proposing a systematic, pre-defined and tool-supported method to extract, analyse and report literature. This paper presents how to best identify relevant IS papers to review within a feasible and justifiable scope, how to extract relevant content from identified papers, how to synthesise and analyse the findings of a literature review and what are ways to effectively write and present the results of a literature review. The paper is specifically targeted towards novice IS researchers, who would seek to conduct a systematic detailed literature review in a focused domain. Specific contributions of our method are extensive tool support, the identification of appropriate papers including primary and secondary paper sets and a precodification scheme. We use a literature study on shared services as an illustrative example to present the proposed approach.