Digitalization of the natural sciences: Design science research and computational science

In the natural sciences, many research activities now require the support of digital artifacts. This digitalization of science has led to the need to develop essential, specialized, devices and software. Computational science is a branch of science that especially requires such artifacts. This research examines computational science to identify its challenges and successes in developing and applying digital artifacts as it moves to digital science. We propose that it might be possible and helpful to support digital artifact creation by applying results from research in design science. We are especially motivated by the types of problems encountered in computational science and how they might be supported by design science research methods and evaluation approaches to develop and assess artifacts for important, and complex, real-world problems. In a complementary manner, computational science could provide an area of inquiry for extending design science research into the natural sciences. •Computational science is impacted by digitalization, becoming digital science.•Design science research has developed methods that could be useful to digital science.•Computational science can be an area of inquiry for design science research.•Digital artifacts should not become exhaust artifacts.•All of sciences becoming sciences of the artificial.