In a bid to help improve research process as well as offer innovative tools for developing and supporting efforts in open access, open tools, open technology and interoperability, Microsoft has unveiled free software tool for Scholarly communication.

Microsoft has drawn a sketch for the exercise of computing technology in research progression. The software tools launched by Microsoft help to enhance interoperability with commonly used existing tools.

In the area of scholarly communication, essential processes are collecting, analyzing, authoring, publishing and preserving information. All these processes can be performed with ease with the assistance of search and discovery.

The free available tools are Creative Commons Add-in v1.0 for Microsoft Office( for creating common licenses directly into office documents), Microsoft e-Journal Service (Alpha)( facilitates easy self-publishing of online journals), Research Output Repository Platform (Alpha)( helps capture and leverage semantic relationships among academic objects), Research Information Center (Beta)( allow researchers to collaborate) and Microsoft Math Add-in for Microsoft Office Word 2007(aids mathematical calculations).

All of the above tools are free to download and users can download the tools from the site www.microsoft.com/mscorp/tc/scholarycommunication.m.spx

Satinder kaur/ITVoir Network