I do not profess to be a scientist, but I do have a great appreciation for scientific research and the scientific community. I believe that most of our scientific discoveries have come about through collaboration and sharing. In recent years (relatively speaking), scientists were quick to see the opportunities that online communication could offer in terms of sharing and learning. Therefore, it makes sense that there would be some excellent Web 2.0 platform resources that are directed towards scientists. Most of the resources I am sharing today target scientists and educators at the college or professional level, but I can also see where the sites could benefit high school teachers and their students. Please feel free to share your thoughts regarding these science-specific tools using the comment link/form found at the end of this post.

ResearchGATE – this application claims to be “the leading professional network for scientists. It’s free of charge and designed to meet researchers’ needs.” Registration requires a valid email address and verification. Once you verify your account, you will complete a profile that includes colleague emails, you can join/peruse relevant groups, and you will be asked to share a little bit about yourself and your work. You can also search journals and abstracts using a semantic relations search, statistic search, or literature search.

SciLink – this online community has established a goal of helping you to discover scientists, authors, and relationships. With over 104 million relationships mined from the literature, SciLink has already established several links to other scientists and professionals. Registration requires a valid email address, but does not require verification. You will be asked to create a profile that will help match you to various scientists in your field. You can also look at the job board and learn about job trends, read about upcoming events, join groups, and develop a tree of science that includes your colleagues, bosses, etc. A new Citation Manager feature is also available to store your citation records and bookmarks for web sites.

SciVee – this is an application “created for scientists by scientists.” This site makes it easy for researchers to combine video with documentation and data in a media rich format and enables scientists to make their research more visible, shareable, and accessible throughout the research cycle. Scientists (and students) can use “virtual studio” technology to enhance their journal articles with “pubcasts” by linking and synchronizing video explanations to their published text. Similarly, video summaries can be associated and synchronized with scientific posters to create “postercasts” highlighting the key finding of the research. The site also provides easy upload and hosting of videos on topics in all areas of scientific research. As a novice researcher (compared to the scientists who use this site), I found the videos very interesting and informative. My husband was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s and I have been able to view and learn a lot about the disease by watching some of these videos. I have also made note of scientists who are researching and working to treat Parkinson’s. While certainly scientists are the targeted users for the site, I feel it also serves as a goldmine for individuals interested in science or patients researching new treatments.

Scitable – this application serves as “a free science library and personal learning tool brought to you by Nature Publishing Group, the world’s leading publisher of science.” Another quote from the site…”The site currently concentrates on genetics, the study of evolution, variation, and the rich complexity of living organisms. As you cultivate your understanding of modern genetics, you will explore not only what we know about genetics and the ways it impacts our society, but also the data and evidence that supports our knowledge.” Educators are encouraged to create classroom groups and browse content to share with students. Students are encouraged to access over 200 key content overviews and can pose questions for experts. When you register to use the site you can meet and collaborate with other members. You can also create or join study, discussion, or social groups and share/store articles. I definitely feel this site has valid application if you work with high school or college students.

You might also enjoy reading through M. Mitchell Waldrop’s article: Science 2.0 — Is Open Access Science the Future? to learn how scientists are using Wiki’s, online collaboration, and Web 2.0 toolsl