Abstract: We argue that a key question for the comparison of the field-specific shaping of scientific communication systems in the Digital Age is the identification and characterization of the unit of research: scientific collectives and their communication cultures. We address this conceptual and methodological challenge using a combination of ethnographic methods and network analysis. In this paper we present a basic methodological approach that we have developed in a pilot study of research groups in chemistry. Our first results underline the value of combining quantitative and qualitative methods.