Providing Resources for Researchers on the World Wide Web: Some Perspectives

U se of the World Wide Web has grown to the point at which the Internet strains under its own popularity. Nevertheless, it is an increasingly valuable research tool for biologists (Smith 1993, Robison 1997). Powerful Web search engines allow users to locate material on virtually any topic, from pertinent literature to the whereabouts of colleagues. The Web offers an effective tool for project documentation and education, and the simplicity of making resources available via the Web encourages free exchange of data for peer review, collaboration, or public dissemination (e.g., Mars Pathfinder mission information, data, and images). Researchers and educators who create and use biological Web sites are often the same scientists who write and read scholarly articles in printed publications; however, these two outlets differ beyond their media. Web pages (other than e-journals; Walker 1996) do not undergo formal review, they often have a larger readership than printed publications (see below), and they are indexed word-for-word for a worldwide audience. Nevertheless, Web pages are seldom prepared with the same scrutiny given printed publications. Authors of professional articles know that through peer and editorial review, their material will be subject to close examination and "gatekeeping" by colleagues. Web pages do not have to survive this process; they are easily published, appear in a medium lacking built-in prestige, and usually receive little critical review, even when user feedback is solicited. Morever, Web sites are seldom, if ever, entirely finished. All of these factors make it especially