Το ακαδημαϊκό δίκτυο Research Gate

Σαφείς ομοιότητες με τις υπηρεσίες κοινωνικής δικτύωσης, όπως είναι το Facebook, παρουσιάζει το Research Gate, μια νέα υπηρεσία που έχει ως σκοπό να φέρει κοντά τους επιστήμονες από όλο τον κόσμο. Αντίστοιχα όπως και τα δίκτυα επαγγελματικής δικτύωσης (λ.χ. Linkedin), το παραπάνω δίκτυο εξειδικεύεται στο χώρο της επιστήμης.
Καθένας μπορεί να εγγραφεί, αφού συνδεθεί με την ιστοσελίδα του δικτύου στη διεύθυνση: https://www.researchgate.net/

Η φιλοσοφία του δικτύου αναπτύσσεται κατ' αντιγραφή από την ιστοσελίδα:

Our vision: Toward connected science - Science 2.0

"It is obvious that anything a scientist discovers or invents is based on previous discoveries and inventions." (Lukas Foss).

The concept of Web 2.0 is changing the way we access and distribute information. The Web has developed from a static system to a dynamic tool, in which people disseminate information and can collaborate. Examples such as Wikis and social networks are known to everybody. The benefits are large and will be even larger in the near future. The impact on nearly all aspects of our life, including science, is obvious. Due to the Web's technical opportunities, science is changing rapidly. The benefits to science and the scientific community as a result of these evolving technologies will be immeasurable.

The vision of Science 2.0 is promising: Communication between scientists will accelerate the distribution of new knowledge. Without anonymous review processes, the concept of open-access journals will assure research quality. Science is collaboration, so scientific social networks will facilitate and improve the way scientists collaborate. Cooperation on scientific publications can be facilitated through Wiki-like concepts.

It's clear that the change is already happening. Old-fashioned lab notebooks have given way to Wikis, and the number of open-access journals is increasing. Raw research data is spread to the benefit of all. Researchers are beginning to no longer accept a scientific world without the new concepts of Web 2.0.

We're at the beginning of this shift. As with any new concept, there are skeptics. How will authorship be granted? How is data protected? How will quality be assured?

Science 2.0's concepts will have to be developed with the science community. Change will happen. The question is just when and how.

ResearchGATE is an essential part of the Science 2.0 community and will evolve with it.

ResearchGATE is for scientists, built by scientists driven by the concept of Science 2.0.