Since 2001, I have been running an NPO website called the Research Cooperative, and in 2008 moved to a new platform. Our network is an international online meeting place where researchers, science writers, editors, translators, illustrators, academic reviewers, publishers and others can meet socially or make offers and requests for services related to research-based writing and publishing.

The site includes an introduction in Japanese.

The Research Cooperative welcomes professional members, and is also intended to give learners opportunities to gain experience as writers, editors, and translators. Members can offer free (volunteer) help in order to gain experience; professionals are encouraged to offer fully paid services.

Our new social networking platform (provided by Ning.com) allows members to present full profiles of themselves (text with a profile image), in addition to making offers or requests in the forums. Many members have joined from other online research-related networks, and I have employed - with considerable success - a direct-marketing agency that manages a global opt-in academic mailing list.

We now have more than 2000 members, most of them researchers, and a corresponding a shortage of editors and translators.

Members of SWET are warmly invited to join The Research Cooperative. A few of us have already joined. A link page with RSS feed has been established, linking SWET and the Research Cooperative here. The site has been continuously updated, and now has a variety of subgroups that may also be of interest to members of SWET.

Best regards, Peter