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...

Dementia is increasing in prevalence, and to date has no cure or treatment. One element in improving this situation is using and sharing data more widely to increase the power of research. Further, moving beyond established medical data into big data offers the potential to tap into routinely...

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 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...