E-research

{{Short description|Information technology used to support existing and new forms of research}}

{{prose|date=February 2016}}

The term e-Research (alternately spelled eResearch) refers to the use of information technology to support existing and new forms of research. This extends cyber-infrastructure practices established in STEM fields such as e-Science to cover other all research areas, including HASS fields such as digital humanities.{{Cite journal|last1=Burton|first1=Orville|last2=Appleford|first2=Simon|date=2009-01-01|title=Cyberinfrastructure for the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences|url=https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/history_pubs/3|journal=EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research - Research Bulletin|volume=2009|issue=1}}

Principles

File:Data lifecycle.svg

Practices in e-Research typically aim to improve efficiency, interconnectedness and scalability across the full research data lifecycle: collection, storage, analysis, visualisation and sharing of data.{{Cite journal|last1=Gupta|first1=Shivam|last2=Müller-Birn|first2=Claudia|date=2018-08-06|title=A study of e-Research and its relation with research data life cycle: a literature perspective|journal=Benchmarking|volume=25|issue=6|pages=1656–1680|doi=10.1108/bij-02-2017-0030|s2cid=169188241 |issn=1463-5771}}

E-Research therefore involves collaboration of researchers (often in a multi-disciplinary team), with data scientists and computer scientists, data stewards and digital librarians, and significant information and communication technology infrastructure.{{Cite book|title = e-Research Collaboration - Theory, Techniques and {{!}} Murugan Anandarajan {{!}} Springer|url = https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783642122569|publisher = www.springer.com|access-date = 2016-01-15}}

In addition to human resources, it often requires the physical infrastructure for data-intensive activities, often using high performance computing systems such as grid computing.

Applications

Examples of e-Research problems range across disciplines which include:

  • Modelling of ecosystems or economies
  • Exploration of human genome structures
  • Studies of large linguistic corpora
  • Integrated social policy analyses

In Australia

Specialist services, centres or programmes instituted to support Australian data and technology intensive research operate under the umbrella term: eResearch. In March 2012, representatives from these eResearch groups came together to discuss the need build a "collaborative program to strengthen eResearch and address issues facing the sector nationally".{{cite web|title=Intersect Newsletter, 6 March 2012|url=http://www.intersect.org.au/intersect-newsletter-18|website=Intersect Australia|access-date=14 January 2016}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The Australian eResearch Organisation (AeRO) emerged from this forum as "a collaborative organisation of national and state-based research organisations to advance eResearch implementation and innovation in Australia".{{cite web|title=About|url=http://aero.edu.au/|website=Australian eResearch Organisation (AeRO)|access-date=31 October 2022}} Professionals working in Australian eResearch annually convene a conference known as: eResearch Australasia.{{cite web|url = https://conference.eresearch.edu.au/|website = eResearch Australasia Conference|access-date = 31 October 2022|title = About}}

See also

References

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