title: Crowdsourced 'R&D' and medical research.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Crowdsourced R&D, a research methodology increasingly applied to medical research, has properties well suited to large-scale medical data collection and analysis, as well as enabling rapid research responses to crises such as disease outbreaks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multidisciplinary literature offers diverse perspectives of crowdsourced R&D as a useful large-scale medical data collection and research problem-solving methodology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Crowdsourced R&D has demonstrated 'proof of concept' in a host of different biomedical research applications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A wide range of quality and ethical issues relate to crowdsourced R&D.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rapid growth in applications of crowdsourced R&D in medical research is predicted by an increasing body of multidisciplinary theory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further research in areas such as artificial intelligence may allow better coordination and management of the high volumes of medical data and problem-solving inputs generated by the crowdsourced R&D process.
authors: School of Economic and Business Sciences, Knowledge and Information Economics/Human Resources Research Agency (KIEHRA), University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa chris.callaghan@wits.ac.za.
authors: Christian William
authors: CW
authors: Callaghan
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D063045:Crowdsourcing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D058436:Knowledge Management; D011340:Problem Solving
keywords: knowledge management; medical research; multidisciplinary; scientific research; theory