Cognitive models enhance the analysis of the work processes of scientists.
If successful, such a program of research could not only enrich cognitive theory, but also guide new developments in science education. This brief review will focus on those chapters in which the authors present case studies or other kinds of data on the process of scientific problem solving. The goal of such research is to characterize these cases in terms of cognitive models. Such models are intended to support the analysis of the work processes of real scientists and engineers. If successful, such a program of research could not only enrich cognitive theory, but also guide new developments in scientific databases, electronic publishing, data analysis and visualization, and science education.