eResearch - Paradigm Shift or Propaganda

eResearch is a concept or word which has come into vogue in academic research circles since 2000. Fundamentally, it is collaborative and interactive research made possible by the Internet and data and computational grids. But like any other new concept, it can and has been abused and misused by people keen to “jump on the bandwagon”. eResearch presents many challenges, both technical and organizational – traditional academia rewards individual performance and specialization, not collective and interdisciplinary efforts that characterized eResearch. But eResearch is a paradigm shift that is changing the way that research is conducted and organized in many academic disciplines and research institutions.