Operads and cosimplicial objects: an introduction

This paper is an introduction to a series of papers in which we give combinatorial models for certain important operads (including A-infinity and E-infinity operads, the little n-cubes operads, and the framed little disks operad) and combinatorial conditions for them to act on a given space or chain complex. The paper does not assume any prior knowledge of operads–Sections 2, 6 and 9, which can be read independently, are an introduction to the theory of operads.