Order from chaos: The poetics and pragmatics of scientific recordkeeping

Abstract

Although the production of laboratory and field records is fundamental to the conduct of contemporary science, there has been little research into this topic in information studies. This article reports on a study in which, using ethnographic methods, the author studied recordkeeping as it is practiced in a basic research science laboratory. The process by which the record is created to reflect both personal need and professional norms is framed as a series of acts of selection, synthesis, and standardization. The article concludes with reflections on the role of deep understanding of scientific recordkeeping for other disciplines and the design of digital laboratory technologies.