NR AOUA
AU Heynkes,R.; Schütt-Abraham,I.
TI Six convincing reasons for cooperative TSE literature work
QU International Conference - Prion diseases: from basic research to intervention concepts - TSE-Forum, 08.10.-10.10.2003, Gasteig, München - Poster session - BR-04
PT Konferenz-Poster
AB
The authors identify six major problems which have to be overcome by working groups if the necessary task of processing the flood of TSE publications shall be successfully handled.
These problems are:
1. how to remember read informations and tracing them back to their source,
2. how to steadily gain knowledge from continuously putting the acquired informations into their right context,
3. how to manage the flood of information and to cover the whole field related to one's own research,
4. how to overcome communication problems in interdisciplinary cooperation,
5. how to improve the quality of literature work, and
6. how to enhance the efficiency of literature work without submitting oneself to place and time restrictions.
For each identified problem the authors then offer solutions which can be applied by any individual scientist as well as working groups. In short:
1. to implement a personal TSE specific data base including one's own article analyses,
2. to create an information network by sorting the information according to subject into working reviews, thus uniting related facts while they remain connected to the analyses,
3. to cooperate with fellow researchers in literature work,
4. to use universally understood language and to explain unavoidable technical terms in a glossary,
5. to discuss article understanding with colleagues,
6. to participate in hypertext projects.
Combined the solutions point to cooperative interdisciplinary literature work carried out with utmost efficiency in form of a hypertext project.
AD Roland Heynkes, Aachen, Germany; Ingrid Schütt-Abraham, Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung, Berlin, Germany
VT
1. Subject specific data bases act as working group memory
With time it becomes increasingly difficult to recall what we have read and where, and to review and correct one's interpretations. Also, working groups normally lose substantial knowledge when colleagues are leaving.
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This can be overcome by creating personal subject specific data bases. Downloads from commercial and public data bases like Pubmed with bibliographical information and abstracts save a great deal of work. You only have to add what you did not find there (e.g. books, laws, official opinions, personal communication). Whenever you read an article just add to the corresponding record the information you perceived and how you interpret it. You can also note where to find any electronic or paper copy you possess. This will provide you with a computer supported personal or work group memory of your background information.
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2. Computer aided information networking creates knowledge
Pieces of information only grow into knowledge and become significant when read in the right context. Unfortunately, it is hardly possible to compile and to connect so many facts solely within a human brain.
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With their background knowledge including subsequent publications experienced readers can often obtain more information from older articles and provide better interpretation of the results than it had been possible for the authors at the time of publishing. Therefore, in one's own specific subject data base and especially one's own analyses, all information relevant for a specific question can quickly be retrieved by key words and copied into a common text. A number behind each single information links it to the data set of origin which holds all available additional information. By comparison it becomes immediately apparent whether the information is confirmed or controversial. It also helps to recognize important information, overlooked during the first reading. Consequently, the article reviews of one's own data bank improve with time in completeness and preciseness.
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3. Cooperation overcomes the flood of information
Scientific areas like the TSE-research produce many more articles than individual scientists or even working groups can read.
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To be successful literature work needs cooperation and should not be restricted to closed circles. As many competent colleagues as possible should put together information on certain topics from all articles published in their field of research.
The reviews should enable others to quickly get an overview and to immediately retrieve the details the review author took from each reviewed article. This saves the reader the laborious task of having first to obtain cited articles found in conventional literature lists of classical reviews and then to search for the quoted passages supporting the author's view.
Ideally a mouseclick leads the reader directly to the corresponding parts of the analyses of the quoted articles. From there links can be set to the original papers whenever they are accessible via Internet. Hypertexts provide the quickest access from the review via the article analysis to the original source.
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4. TSE research profits from interdisciplinary cooperation avoiding jargon
Problem areas like TSE safety can only be handled by broad interdisciplinary cooperation. This would result in massive problems with understanding and communication if everybody wrote in his/her professional jargon.
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Interdisciplinary cooperation requires comprehensible writing. Therefore reviews and analyses have to be phrased in a way understood by all participants. If possible, the words should be used in their colloquial meaning. Technical terms should be avoided or linked to a special glossary in which the author explains the sense in which he used them.
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5. Collegial discussions about article understanding improve the quality of literature work
The critical evaluation of published results is demanding and prone to error. Misinterpretations might have serious consequences for one's own work.
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By making reviews and article analyses available to all cooperating partners the texts are exposed to scientific discussion. Thus the cooperative literature work profits from corrections, critical comments and additional information by colleagues.
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6. Hypertext enhances the efficiency of cooperative literature work
Classical conferences facilitate communication by visual contact. However, they are costly and restricted by time problems. Internet conferences in contrast are cheap and independent of locus and time. However, writing the mails is time consuming and the achieved results do not always justify the effort. Misunderstandings due to lack of non-verbal communication are inevitable, and debaters tend to block discussions with unproductive self-opinionated disputes.
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Hypertext-Projects fully concentrate on producing well documented and traceable results and are thus highly efficient. At the same time each participant can adjust his/her participation to his/ her individual needs and capabilities.
All these solutions are combined in a Hypertext-Project which serves as frame for our interdisciplinary cooperation in TSE literature work. Meanwhile all technical and organisational problems have essentially been solved. Already the profit for the cooperating partners by far exceeds the required effort. Synergic effects will increase with every new participant, creating broad and lasting knowledge for all.
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Dr. Ingrid Schütt-Abraham
Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung, Diedersdorfer Weg 1, 12277 Berlin,
Dipl. Biol. Roland Heynkes
Erkwiesenstr. 19, 52072 Aachen, www.heynkes.de
SP englisch
PO Deutschland