Towards Research Collaboration - a Taxonomy of Social Research Network Sites

The increase of scientific collaboration coincides with the technological and social advancement of social software applications which can change the way we research. Among social software, social network sites have recently gained immense popularity in a hedonic context. This paper focuses on social network sites as an emerging application designed for the specific needs of researchers. To give an overview about these sites we use a data set of 24 case studies and in-depth interviews with the founders of ten social research network sites. The gathered data leads to a first tentative taxonomy and to a definition of SRNS identifying four basic functionalities identity and network management, communication, information management, and collaboration. The sites in the sample correspond to one of the following four types: research directory sites, research awareness sites, research management sites and research collaboration sites. These results conclude with implications for providers of social research network sites.