THE ROLE OF SOCIAL CONSTRAINTS IN THE DESIGN OF RESEARCH NETWORK INFORMATION SYSTEMS
A. De Moor, Hans Weigand, O. Hutzinger · Research portal (Tilburg University) · 1996
Research networks demand methodological support for the design of adequate network information systems. These systems need to support strong collaboration, that is, the group production of structured artifacts. A typical group artifact for research networks is described: the group report. It is argued that specifying such an artifact in terms of key social constraints is a suitable specification approach for research network information systems. A case related to societal conflict mediation is introduced to exemplify and validate the methodological theory. A research network is a goal-oriented human network that focuses on facilitating the research process through the planning and conduct of research activities, and the dissemination and evaluation of results. In this way, they can help resolve a wide range of scientific and societal problems. A research network can be called a closed network if