Social reference: Toward a unifying theory

Abstract

This article addresses the need for a theoretical approach to reference research and specifically concentrates on a lacuna in conceptual research on social reference. Social reference refers to online question answering services that are provided by communities of volunteers on question and answer (Q&A) sites. Social reference is similar to library reference, but at the same time, it differs significantly from the traditional (and digital) dyadic reference encounter; it involves a collaborative group effort and uses wikis and other Web 2.0 infrastructure. This article proposes a sociotechnical framework to analyze, evaluate, and understand social reference that relies on a systems approach to the reference encounter, combined with an input-process-output (IPO) approach to virtual group work. The framework also accounts for the collaborative process of question answering and the interplay between technology and users, in their contexts.

Investigating Factors Affecting Automated Question Triage for Social Reference: A Study of Adopting Decision Factors from Digital Reference

“…The term "social reference (Gazan 2007;Shachaf 2010)" is used in the study to refer to online question answering services that are provided by communities of volunteers on question and answer Shachaf (2010) argued that social reference is similar to library reference, but at the same time, it may be significantly different from the traditional (and digital) dyadic reference encounter since it involves a collaborative group effort and uses Web 2.0 infrastructure.…”

Social Q&A

“…They describe STIN as a theoretical extension of social informatics, which accounts for the embedded co-evolution of social and technological systems (Kling, McKim, & King, 2003). Shachaf (2010) suggests that social reference is characterized by collaborative work, and a unique, one-to-many structure of information seeking and exchange. Shachaf concludes that any theoretical framework that seeks to understand, analyze, and evaluate social reference must account for social factors such as conflict management, trust, cohesiveness, motivation, coordination, and the maintenance of communication norms by the participants.…”

“…Shachaf concludes that any theoretical framework that seeks to understand, analyze, and evaluate social reference must account for social factors such as conflict management, trust, cohesiveness, motivation, coordination, and the maintenance of communication norms by the participants. Shachaf proposes an input-output-process model as a framework to identify and interrelate crucial variables in social reference environments, which can be summarized as follows: Although many SQA studies have focused on one or more of the variables proposed by Shachaf (2010), a holistic picture transcends any single study to date. Confounding a comprehensive approach is the fact that the most SQA sites make available to researchers only that data which is publicly viewable.…”

Exploring Users' Information Behavior in Social Networks

“…"I certify that all material in this dissertation which is not my own work has been identified and that no material is included for which a degree has previously been conferred upon me" List of Tables Table 1: Input-Process-Output framework for understanding social reference, adapted from Shachaf's (2010) This introductory chapter outlines the fundamentals of this research project. First, the context around this research is given by providing background information and stating the motivations for doing this kind of study which leads to the statement of the problem.…”

“…2.3.1.3 Understanding Social Reference Shachaf (2010) affirms that "there is a need to develop a conceptual framework to understand social reference and to facilitate the analysis and evaluation of social Q&A [Questions & Answers] sites." (p.…”