Informatics in radiology: RadiologyWiki.org: the free radiology resource that anyone can edit

Abstract

Recent developments in online collaborative technologies such as Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) have demonstrated the potential usefulness of an online reference resource produced as the collective effort of many users. Although this type of resource has enjoyed success in the public arena, however, its value remains unproved in the academic community. RadiologyWiki (www.RadiologyWiki.org) was created to apply the technology and methods of collaborative authorship to create a dynamic online radiology educational resource. The World Wide Web site capitalizes on the core technology of Wikipedia, allowing individuals with little technical experience to easily create, categorize, and search for articles by using a standard Web browser. RadiologyWiki shows promise for applications in the field of radiology, although issues pertaining to copyright, peer review, and academic motivation must be overcome if it is to make a meaningful contribution in this context. Nevertheless, it is hoped that RadiologyWiki will develop into a free, simple, and rapid collaborative authorship tool for communication and education in radiology.