In sociology and science and technology studies, a boundary object is information, such as specimens, field notes, and maps, used in different ways by different communities for collaborative work through scales. Boundary objects are plastic, interpreted differently across communities but with enough immutable content to maintain integrity.

The concept was introduced by Susan Leigh Star and James R. Griesemer in a 1989 publication (p. 393):

In their article, Star and Griesemer describe the importance of boundary objects and methods standardization in the development of the Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Some of the boundary objects that they list include specimens, field notes, and maps of particular territories. These objects interact with members of various social groups (including amateur collectors and museum professionals) but are used to very different ends by each (p. 408).

 

Note:   The above text is excerpted from the Wikipedia article Boundary object, which has been released under the GNU Free Documentation License.