[c]

Wikis enable multiple users to work on a single piece of text. This has obvious potential uses for research project teams. For example, a group could work on a report, publication or grant application.  Only one version is live at any one time, so version control issues are not a problem. Users can all see the current status, and so the collective current thinking is always observable.  Previous versions of the text are preserved, meaning that the history of the development of the text can be read.

However:

• Many wiki platforms are currently very difficult to use and to navigate.
• There is usually a reticence amongst users to correct or delete others' work, resulting in the text having many comments and suggestions, rather than constantly being updated as a readable single narrative.
• One overbearing user can make the wiki process unworkable by constantly reverting to a previous version, or dominating the creation process.

If you do decide to use a wiki to aid the process of document creation within the research project team:

• Correspond beforehand explaining the process and its requirements – giving permission to everyone to alter each others’ work.
• Nominate an editor and specific times for the editor to go in to the wiki and tidy it up, format it properly and create subpages and navigation.
• Pick a final cut-off point for downloading the text and converting it to a final output for dissemination through some other more accessible and navigable medium.