Conceptual modelling for simulation Part I: definition and requirements
Open accessAbstract
Conceptual modelling is probably the most important aspect of a simulation study. It is also the most difficult and least understood. Over 40 years of simulation research and practice have provided only limited information on how to go about designing a simulation conceptual model. This paper, the first of two, discusses the meaning of conceptual modelling and the requirements of a conceptual model. Founded on existing literature, a definition of a conceptual model is provided. Four requirements of a conceptual model are described: validity, credibility, utility and feasibility. The need to develop the simplest model possible is also discussed. Owing to a paucity of advice on how to design a conceptual model, the need for a conceptual modelling framework is proposed. Built on the foundations laid in this paper, a conceptual modelling framework is described in the paper that follows.
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For simulation studies, the research question typically forms the starting point of the modeling and simulation life cycle and is key to interpreting its outputs such as simulation data or a simulation model.
“For simulation studies, it typically forms the starting point of the modeling and simulation life cycle [1, 67] and is key to interpreting its outputs such as simulation data or a simulation model.”
From Relating simulation studies by provenance—Developing a family of Wnt signaling models (2021) · cites this paper as [67]
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References 79 · Cited by 482
- Authors
- Robinson, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Warwick (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Robinson, S
- ORCID
- Robinson, S
- Venue
- Journal of the Operational Research Society
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2008-03
- Volume
- 59
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 278-290
- ISSN
- 0160-5682 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-9360
- OpenAlex
- W1997875983
- Cited by
- 482
- References
- 79
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 36 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 33 · 2012: 29
- FWCI
- 26.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- dspace.lboro.ac.uk
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- www.springer.com/tdm (unspecified)
- Locations
- Journal of the Operational Research Society (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Loughborough University Institutional Repository (Loughborough University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Loughborough University Research Repository (Loughborough University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Simulation Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Complex Systems and Decision Making
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Control and Systems Engineering › Simulation and Modeling Applications
- Keywords
- conceptual modeling, simulation modelling, model validity, model credibility, model utility, model feasibility, model simplicity
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