Electronic knowledge resources

Over the last decade, the electronic revolution has had a profound effect on the way we conduct and manage research and on research communications in general. The globalisation and enhanced availability of electronic knowledge resources has led to less isolation, less duplication of research, and better cross- inter-and trans-disciplinary collaboration both within countries and across the globe. Access to the exponentially increasing electronic knowledge resources is however disparate due to lack of necessary infrastructure, training and financial resources in some countries, particularly in (but not restricted to) the developing countries. In this chapter, we provide a basic introduction to electronic knowledge resources and how we perceive these as valuable tools for agricultural research managers and researchers. We assume a basic knowledge of computer literacy.