The Information Practices of Scientists: Zooming into Microbiologists' Domains of Interaction
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2026
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This study explores the information practices of a group of microbiologists in a laboratory of an Australian university. The research, informed by Schatzki’s Practice Theory and Latour’s Actor Network Theory uses ethnography as its methodological approach, exploring how scientific knowledge is constructed through embodied, affective and socio-material interactions between human and non-human actors.
The research proposes an innovative approach to analysis denominated the Cosmic Zoom, enabling the researcher to follow the scientists through multiple Domains of Interactions, demonstrating that there is no clear distinction between personal and professional aspects of their lives. The study found that observation is a critical information practice with characteristics unique to these scientists. It also found that alongside the scientists, the microscope and bacteria are important actors within the knowledge construction process.
This study offers new ways to think about information practices as the convergence of multiple domains of interaction. It shows that interactions between scientists and their instruments have implications for professional practice as technologies are increasingly presented as partners in the workplace. Further research can explore the appropriateness of the Cosmic Zoom as an analytical tool and the robustness of the concept of Domains of Interaction.
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