A pattern represents a discernible regularity in the world or in manmade designs. In the prescriptive view, a pattern is a template from which instances can be created; while in the descriptive view, the elements of a pattern that repeat in a predictable manner can be observed and recognised. Similar to theories in sciences, patterns explain and predict regularities in a subject domain. In a complicated subject domain like cyberspace, there are usually a large number of patterns that each describes and predicts a subset of recurring phenomena, yet these patterns can interact and interfere with each other and be coordinated and composed together. The pattern-oriented research method studies a subject domain by identifying the patterns, classifying and categorising them, organising them into pattern languages, scoping their boundaries, investigating the interactions between them, devising mechanisms and operations for detecting and predicting their occurrences, and facilitating their instantiation or simulation.