David Lamas, Vladimir Tomberg, Mart Laanpere: A Conceptual Model for Collaborative Scientific Writing. Poster at CSCW2012 cinference/

1. A Conceptual Model
for Collaborative Scientific Writing
David Lamas, Vladimir Tomberg, Mart Laanpere
drl@tlu.ee, vtomberg@tlu.ee, martl@tlu.ee
Having different everyday tools and workflows,
Timeliner is an Internet based tool Challenges faced by ourselves but also The problem we address by offering
designed to support collaborative sci- elaborated upon by both our local Timeliner is about supporting collabo-
how researchers can effectively collaborate
entific writing. The need for Timeliner
rises from daily challenges regarding
research community as well as by mem-
bers of our international research pro-
rative scientific writing with minimal dis-
ruption of concurrent practices and
online in the process of scientific writing?
collaborative scientific writing pro- jects' teams. workflows.
cesses.
Data Layer
INITIAL CONCEPTS CONNECTING RESOURCES
Collaborative writing is common and often A final step in our design process was to
unavoidable in academic work as written doc- design Timeliner's system architecture as a
API API API API API API API API
uments, such as articles, reports and presen- mash-up of external data and functionalities
Milestones
tations are mostly produced collaboratively. provided by third-party services (see figure). Metadata Layer Timeliner Multi API Engine
API
We consider that collaborative writing is the This means that Timeliner has almost no con-
process of two or more people working cern about storing data but rather focus on 9/1/2003 - 10/10/2003 10/15/2003 - 10/9/2005
Rewiev and Approval Process
Writing Abstract
together to create a complex document, irre- the processing of metadata related to exter-
11/13/2004 6/30/2005 11/4/2005
10/12/2003
spectively of locus or synchronicity. nal data. By using different types of metadata Abstract
Deadline Camera ready Publication
Visualisation Layer
as glue, Timeliner can bring together, into a
As showed on the concept map we interpret
new writing ecosystem, resources that were 6/1/2003 11/30/2005
the process of collaborative writing as a pro-
separated before.
ject.
Users Layer
Local resources
Researcher
SHARING TIMELINES FIRST UI PROTOTYPE
Instead of organizing users into groups we Tasks
We have designed first software prototype
User A
propose the concept of sharing resources Documents
for Timeliner using concept of resources asso-
in associated timelines. If two or more ciated with specific writing project and
researchers are ready to start collaboration, Tasks
arranged around project timeline. At the top
User B
they should share their timelines with each Documents
current status of target document is dis-
other. played. The researcher can create tasks,
By marking own resources as public and Visible
assign them to coworkers, and bind to them
private the users can precisely define what
shared resources.
resources
resources they want to share. The tasks, milestones and resources can be
Shared resource Private resource
The process of sharing timelines between tagged and annotated. All activities are
two users is illustrated on figure. Gray lines tracked in diary, which also has interface for
mark resources to be shared; private participants’ chat.
resources are painted in black color.
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