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Documents and the communication of scientific and scholarly information: Revising and updating the UNISIST model

Trine Fjordback Søndergaard (Royal School of Library and Information Science, Copenhagen, Denmark)
Jack Andersen (Royal School of Library and Information Science, Copenhagen, Denmark)
Birger Hjørland (Royal School of Library and Information Science, Copenhagen, Denmark)

Journal of Documentation

ISSN: 0022-0418

Article publication date: 1 June 2003

3164

Abstract

In 1971 UNISIST proposed a model for scientific and technical communication. This model has been widely cited and additional models have been added to the literature. There is a need to bring this model to the focus of information science (IS) research as well as to update and revise it. There are both empirical and theoretical reasons for this need. On the empirical side much has happened in the developments of electronic communication that needs to be considered. From a theoretical point of view the domain‐analytic view has proposed that differences between different disciplines and domains should be emphasised. The original model only considered scientific and technical communication as a whole. There is a need both to compare with the humanities and social sciences and to regard internal differences in the sciences. There are also other reasons to reconsider and modify this model today. Offers not only a descriptive model, but also a theoretical perspective from which information systems may be understood and evaluated. In addition to this provides empirical exemplification and proposals for research initiatives.

Keywords

Citation

Fjordback Søndergaard, T., Andersen, J. and Hjørland, B. (2003), "Documents and the communication of scientific and scholarly information: Revising and updating the UNISIST model", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 59 No. 3, pp. 278-320. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410310472509

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited

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