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Description:
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Virtual Research Environments (VRE ) are electronic meeting places for
interaction among scientists created by combining software tools and computer
networking . Virtual teams are enjoying increased importance in the conduct of scientific
research because of the rising cost of traditional scientific scholarly communication , the
growing importance of shared academic research by geographically dispersed scientific
teams , and changes in the corporate research structures . New facilities provided by the
Internet technology enhanced this situation . Currently , our knowledge about VRE -based
scientific communication and what makes it effective is relatively immature in terms of
understanding technology (interface , architecture , and software evaluation ) , system
management (software systems , visualization , scalability ) , knowledge bases , expert
systems , and coordination . Moreover , we do not have a comprehensive classification
scheme for virtual research environments primarily from a technological viewpoint . This study provided an analysis of VRE from a technological standpoint and
developed a conceptual model that identified factors facilitating collaboration
effectiveness with a primary focus on technology . VRE portals were at the core of the
investigation as they are the entry points for VRE related information and resource
access . First , the study developed a methodological framework for characterizing VREs ,
applied that framework to examine and classify existing VRE systems , and developed a
new classification . Then , the study established a relationship between the technological
profiles of various types of VREs and their productivity . Study results show that the
technological arrangements of the VRE neither depend upon scientific discipline nor the
existing functional typology . The study did not identify a significant presence of
communication and collaboration technologies within the VRE systems . However ,
results indicated that there were a correlation between communication and collaboration
technologies and VRE effectiveness . |