In most scientific disciplines, the majority of academic papers are written collaboratively. They also tend to undergo several rounds of revision, with new content often being added after peer review and style and format reworked for target journals. Currently, this tends to involve emailing versions of the document between authors, or storing versions on shared drives. However, a new breed of online applications that mimic the functions of desktop applications could change the process of producing a scientific paper.

Ajax and the writable web
The traditional problem with using web applications to perform functions similar to those carried out by personal computers is the time it takes for the client to communicate with the server. This means there is a delay in performing the command given by the user. Recently, Google Earth demonstrated that this barrier had been removed: moving the mouse on your personal computer results in instantaneous spin or zoom onscreen. Google Suggest is another example: with every keystroke the suggestions in the drop-down box are updated (1).

The secret to the instant responses of this new generation of web applications, sometimes referred to as WYSIWYG (‘what you see is what you get’), is the use of Ajax. Ajax stands for Asynchronous JavaScript + XML and, in these applications, is used to form an extra layer between the server and the client, simultaneously creating the visible interface that the user sees and maintaining continual contact with the server. This allows the user’s interaction with the application to occur asynchronously, giving the instant onscreen results (2). The extra layer, also referred to as Middleware , can also allow for security functions including the authentication and authorization of users.

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