This paper presents a model to aid researchers with the task of identifying the elements of a network-based information system in their studies. If the elements are not properly identified, the results of a study may be misinterpreted or lost. The elements of network-based information can be divided into three major categories: Use: people using or benefiting from use of the information system, procedures used by the people, and functional area data; Applications: people developing or maintaining software, development and maintenance procedures, application configuration data, and the applications; Infrastructure: systems personnel, systems procedures, protocols, system data, system software, and hardware. Proper identification of network-based information system elements can make delimiting the study easier and make the results more convincing
