|
'''Web science''' is an emerging [[interdisciplinary]] field concerned with the study of large-scale socio-technical systems, particularly the [[World Wide Web]].<ref>{{Cite journal
| last1 = Berners-Lee | first1 = T.
| authorlink1author-link1 = Tim Berners-Lee
| last2 = Hall | first2 = W.
|authorlink2author-link2 = Wendy Hall
| last3 = Hendler | first3 = J.
| authorlink3author-link3 = James Hendler
| last4 = Shadbolt | first4 = N.
|authorlink4author-link4 = Nigel Shadbolt
| last5 = Weitzner | first5 = D.
| title = Computer Science: Enhanced: Creating a Science of the Web
| year = 2006
| pmid = 16902115
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1145/1364782.1364798| last1 = Hendler | first1 = Jim| authorlink1author-link1 = Jim Hendler| last2 = Shadbolt | first2 = Nigel| authorlink2author-link2 = Nigel Shadbolt| title = Web science: an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the web| last3 = Hall | first3 = Wendy| authorlink3author-link3 = Wendy Hall| last4 = Berners-Lee | first4 = Tim| authorlink4author-link4 = Tim Berners-Lee | last5 = Weitzner | first5 = Daniel| journal = Communications of the ACM| volume = 51| issue = 7| year = 2008| url = http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/266555/1/CACM.pdf}}</ref> It considers the relationship between people and technology, the ways that society and technology co-constitute one another and the impact of this co-constitution on broader society. Web Science combines research from disciplines as diverse as [[sociology]], [[computer science]], [[economics]], and [[mathematics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slideshare.net/webscikorea/why-do-we-need-web-science-research|title=Why Do We Need Web Science Research?|date=6 December 2009|publisher=}}</ref>
An earlier definition was given by American computer scientist [[Ben Shneiderman]]: "Web Science" is processing the information available on the web in similar terms to those applied to natural environment.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1145/1247001.1247022 | title=Web science | journal=Communications of the ACM | date=2007 | volume=50 | issue=6 | pages=25 | first=Ben | last=Shneiderman}}</ref>
The Web Science Institute describes Web Science as focusing "the analytical power of researchers from disciplines as diverse as mathematics, sociology, economics, psychology, law and computer science to understand and explain the Web. It is necessarily interdisciplinary – as much about social and organizational behaviour as about the underpinning technology."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southampton.ac.uk/wsi/about/what_is_web_science.page?|title=What is Web Science? – Web Science Institute – University of Southampton|publisher=}}</ref>
== Research groups ==
There are numerous academic research groups engaged in Web Science research,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tw.rpi.edu/web/wsrc|title=WSTNet at RPI: Web Science Research Center|date=30 October 2012|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://eng.webst.kaist.ac.kr/|title=웹사이언스 공학 |publisher=eng.webst.kaist.ac.kr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://west.uni-koblenz.de/|title=Institute WeST|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ebusiness-unibw.org/|title=E-Business and Web Science Research Group at Bundeswehr University Munich|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dtc.webscience.ecs.soton.ac.uk/|title=Education – Web Science Institute – University of Southampton|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jku.at/content/e262/e242/e2380/e131292|title=JKU » Webwissenschaften – Master|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/news/4365|title=New Web Science Institute to explore how the Web will shape our future – Electronics and Computer Science – University of Southampton|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://webscience.blogs.usj.edu.lb|title=UIR Web Science @CEMAM – USJ – Beirut / Lebanon|publisher=}}</ref> many of which are members of WSTNet, the [[Web Science Trust]] Network of research labs. Health Web Science emerged as a sub-discipline of Web Science that studies the role of the Web's impact on human's health outcomes and how to further utilize the Web to improve health outcomes.<ref>http://www.websci11.org/workshops/health-web-science-workshop/></ref><ref>http://www.websci12.org/workshops/health-web-science-workshop</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.jmir.org/2013/8/e166/|title=The Emergent Discipline of Health Web Science|first1=Joanne S|last1=Luciano|first2=Grant P|last2=Cumming|first3=Mark D|last3=Wilkinson|first4=Eva|last4=Kahana|date=1 January 2013|publisher=|volume=15|issue=8|doi=10.2196/jmir.2499|pmid=23968998|pmc=3758025}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1561/1800000019 | volume=4 | title=Health Web Science | journal=Foundations and Trends in Web Science | pages=269–419}}</ref>
== Related major conferences ==
| 