The doctoral thesis studied the behaviour of scientists on Internet profiles. The scientific community is founded on communication. The advance of research, the evaluation of research results, the reputation of individual scientists - all rest on constant interaction among the community members. The Internet, as a flexible channel for world-wide communication, has a considerable potential for the scientific community. Besides often discussed consequences for scientific publishing, the Internet also offers new opportunities for self-presentation of scientists. In this thesis, the online presence of scientists was studied with a 'positive lens', concentrating on how the Internet can be used to enhance scientists' individual self-presentation. The doctoral thesis consists of five essays: an overview and four essays documenting separate research projects. The research was founded on the radical constructivist understanding of reality. It was classified as connected to three areas: research on science communication, research on digital identity, and research on generation of online content. Viewing the existing literature in these areas, three focal points were identified, which informed and guided the formulation of research aims and the implementation of research projects: focus on Internet self-presentation, assumption of strategic importance, and need for a holistic view. The aims of the thesis were (A) to develop a holistic understanding of scientists' Internet presence, (B) to study behavioural patterns on scientists' Internet profiles, and (C) to develop an instrument to support the development and management of scientists' Internet self-presentation. Based on these aims, four research projects were carried out. Each project pursued own research questions or objectives using suitable methods, yet all contributed to the overall aims of the thesis. Thus the thesis presents conceptual, empirical, and applied findings resulting from a multi-method approach and contributing both to research on Internet self-presentation as well as to practice in the management of online presence.

The doctoral thesis studied the behaviour of scientists on Internet profiles. The scientific community is founded on communication. The advance of research, the evaluation of research results, the reputation of individual scientists - all rest on constant interaction among the community members. The Internet, as a flexible channel for world-wide communication, has a considerable potential for the scientific community. Besides often discussed consequences for scientific publishing, the Internet also offers new opportunities for self-presentation of scientists. In this thesis, the online presence of scientists was studied with a 'positive lens', concentrating on how the Internet can be used to enhance scientists' individual self-presentation. The doctoral thesis consists of five essays: an overview and four essays documenting separate research projects. The research was founded on the radical constructivist understanding of reality. It was classified as connected to three areas: research on science communication, research on digital identity, and research on generation of online content. Viewing the existing literature in these areas, three focal points were identified, which informed and guided the formulation of research aims and the implementation of research projects: focus on Internet self-presentation, assumption of strategic importance, and need for a holistic view. The aims of the thesis were (A) to develop a holistic understanding of scientists' Internet presence, (B) to study behavioural patterns on scientists' Internet profiles, and (C) to develop an instrument to support the development and management of scientists' Internet self-presentation. Based on these aims, four research projects were carried out. Each project pursued own research questions or objectives using suitable methods, yet all contributed to the overall aims of the thesis. Thus the thesis presents conceptual, empirical, and applied findings resulting from a multi-method approach and contributing both to research on Internet self-presentation as well as to practice in the management of online presence.:1 Introduction 2 Theoretical foundation 3 Research areas 4 Research aims and questions 5 Methods 6 Findings 7 Conclusions References Essay 1: Bukvova, H. (2011). Scientists online: A framework for the analysis of Internet profiles. First Monday, 16(10). Essay 2: Bukvova, H. (2012). A holistic approach to the analysis of online profiles. Internet Research, 22(3). Essay 3: Bukvova, H. (2011). Information demand on scientists’ Internet profiles. Sprouts: Working Papers on Information Systems, 11(173). Essay 4: Bukvova, H. (2011). Online Impression Management for Scientists. Sprouts: Working Papers on Information Systems, 11(140).