E-Collaboration in Biomedical Research

There are compelling arguments for using emerging Web technologies to facilitate research in the biomedical sciences. This chapter reviews current research and current technologies for e-collaboration in biomedical research. This chapter presents four case studies examining the use of Web-based tools to support the teamwork of geographically distributed biomedical researchers. It then reviews case study findings in light of the Web 2.0 e-collaboration enablers that are available. It concludes with surprising and concerning reflections about current practices in biomedical research collaboration as well as some promising future directions through the use of biomedical informatics to advance these practices by addressing human factors.