This contribution examines various aspects of "openness" in research, and seeks to gauge the degree to which contemporary "e-science" practices are congruent with "open science." Norms and practices of openness are held to have been vital for the work of modern scientific communities, but...

This article examines the shift to online knowledge in research. In recent years there has been a major transformation in how formal and informal science communication is disseminated by electronic means. At the same time, researchers’ practices in accessing knowledge and information have...

This paper argues that the social sciences are fragmented in addressing the environmental challenge of increasing resource depletion. To address this problem, the paper puts forward a framework which encompasses several disciplinary approaches, and above all a long-term historical perspective...

This paper analyzes a Wiki which has been developed for annotating the novel 'Against the Day' by Thomas Pynchon in terms of how it functions as a tool for online research collaboration. The annotation of this long and complex work of fiction has taken place in a very short time, with many...

Search has assumed a position of central importance in the way that people access and use online information and services. In this introduction we summarize the four articles constituting this themed section, and in so doing explore the ascendancy of search, the power it bestows upon those who...

There are many societal concerns that emerge as a consequence of Future Internet (FI) research and development. A survey identified six key social and economic issues deemed most relevant to European FI projects. During a SESERV-organized workshop, experts in Future Internet technology engaged...

The Oxford e-Social Science (OeSS) project investigated the uses and impacts of digital research – what others have called e-Research or e-Science – from the perspective of the social sciences. The study examined the factors shaping new approaches to digital research across the sciences and...

This paper presents preliminary results from a new study of how the Internet and the Web might reconfigure access to scientific information. The study combines qualitative and quantitative methods - in-depth interviews and webmetric analysis - to explore how the Internet and Web are reinforcing...

The aim of this research project (ESRC RES-160-25-0031) was to assess whether and to what extent the Internet and the Web could be transforming access to sources of scientific expertise. There are competing theoretical perspectives, either for a concentration effect for the most heavily linked...