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Sending out emails with texts, presentations and manual tracking of the version number
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Using the track change or compare documents functionality of word processing tools
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Using data transfer protocols, such as shared local networks or FTP to transfer larger files
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Manual tracking of versions, backups, etc.
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Current state of the art
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Full data control—the process can be organized, so that only known and trusted parties gain access to the content
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Politics—authors and co-authors can decide who sees which version and when
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Free and open source solutions available
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Can be hard to keep track of edits and to integrate changes into a summarized version
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Many “local cultures of keeping track of versions”
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Simultaneous work needs central organization (leading author?) and might create high workload to keep versions in sync
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Standard Email and document processor software packages, FTP, network file systems
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MS Office solutions
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Open Office
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Text editors, LaTex
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Using cloud tools that synchronize folders within the work group and create a version history/backup of old files
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Using collaborative authoring tools to work simultaneously on documents
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Simultaneous work
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No out-of-sync version of documents
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Complete history
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No work load overhead for version synchronization and file transfer management
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Only 97 % compatibility with current standard word or presentation software solutions
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Third party companies gain access to data and texts, therefore have to be trusted
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Most free solutions are high-maintenance and need high amount of training, local cloud solutions may lack features
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Scepticism regarding novel concepts with both good and bad arguments (the old fashioned way is usually perceived as secure and well established, while disadvantages of novel concepts are over-perceived)
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Collaborative authoring tools do not relieve authors from recursively checking the internal integrity of the documents—low threshold to submit changes may decrease the diligence of contributors
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Dropbox
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Google documents/drive
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Zotero
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other Concurrent version systems (social coding!) with front ends to focus on collaborative text editing