scholarly journals Digging deeper? Muddling through? How environmental activists make sense and use of science — an exploratory study

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (03) ◽  
pp. A08 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birte Faehnrich
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Situational Analysis ◽  
Environmental Discourse ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Professional Science

This paper focusses on the sense making and use of science by environmental activists. It is based on the assumption that activists — without being scientists or professional science communicators — take up a central role in the environmental discourse concerning the translation of scientific findings and their public dissemination. It is thus asked how environmental activists evaluate the relevance of science for their work, which structures and processes they apply to make sense of science, and how they use science related information to make their voices heard. This paper presents data from a study on Canadian activists regarding their use of scientific information in the field of forest protection. The data, interpreted in the context of a situational analysis, helps to enhance understanding of environmental activists' information systems but also show the strategic use of scientific information by these alternative science communicators.

What Researchers are Currently Saying about Ontologies: A Review of Recent Web of Science Articles

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-219
Author(s):  
Luís Miguel Oliveira Machado ◽  
Maurício Barcellos Almeida ◽  
Renato Rocha Souza
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Mixed Methodology ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
Current Prevalence ◽  
The Web

Traditionally connected to philosophy, the term ontology is increasingly related to information systems areas. Some researchers consider the approaches of the two disciplinary contexts to be completely different. Others consider that, although different, they should talk to each other, as both seek to answer similar questions. With the extensive literature on this topic, we intend to contribute to the understanding of the use of the term ontology in current research and which references support this use. An exploratory study was developed with a mixed methodology and a sample collected from the Web of Science of articles published in 2018. The results show the current prevalence of computer science in studies related to ontology and also of Gruber's view suggesting ontology as kind of conceptualization, a dominant view in that field. Some researchers, particularly in the field of biomedicine, do not adhere to this dominant view but to another one that seems closer to ontological study in the philosophical context. The term ontology, in the context of information systems, appears to be consolidating with a meaning different from the original, presenting traces of the process of “metaphorization” in the transfer of the term between the two fields of study.

Decision-Making and Information Systems in Colleges: An Exploratory Study

1976 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl R. Adams ◽  
Theodore E. Kellogg ◽  
Roger G. Schroeder
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Exploratory Study
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