Elsevier has teamed up with academic libraries to launch a set of research tools based on Web 2.0 technology.

The scientific, technical and medical publisher said its free 2collab tools would help researchers, librarians and academics navigate their way through the bewildering range of information available online.

The tools are the first time Elsevier has dabbled with Web 2.0 developments such as social networking and wiki technology. Thijs Willems, Elsevier product manager for Scopus and 2collab, said it was a breakthrough for the scientific community.
“Academics can now connect with people on the other side of the world who share their interests and research areas, in a way that would not have been possible before,” Willems said.

Researchers can use the free online platform to connect with other people in their field by finding and sharing new academic material, researching and debating ideas and posting their own work for comment. They can also create their own personal profile.

The second innovation is an addition to Scirus, the science internet search engine. Scirus Topic Pages (topics.scirus.com) is a wiki-like application where acknowledged experts can share and debate their subject. Contributions might include information about key papers, citations and web sources.

Academics from a number of fields at universities in China, the US, the Netherlands, Hungary, Switzerland and the UK have already contributed papers on a range of topics.

Both 2collab and Scirus Topic Pages are beta apps. “We are using the time to have fun with the new technology and try things out,” Willems said.

He added that the tools were developed to help users collaborate online.