Conducting collaborative educational research online : creating transnational knowledge networks between developed and developing countries

![CDATA[Among the positive behaviours, the Research Quality Framework (The Commonwealth of Australia, 2005) expects an improvement in the internationalisation of Australian educational research; the same is true of Chinese educational researchers. Educational research in Australia and China is increasingly taking place across borders, and becoming internationalized. Web-enabled learning, teaching and research are also growing in popularity, promoting online cooperation across these two countries among others. Together these developments are making it easier for Australia and China’s educational researchers to collaborate on common issues through the Internet. This paper explores possibilities for conducting online collaborative research based on a review of recent international research literature. This article is divided into six main parts. To begin with, the paper explores the context that led to its writing. Then, it explains the benefits of online collaborative research. Next is the description and summary of the lessons drawn from four case studies of off-line and online collaboration programs. The fourth section discusses and analyses the factors impacting on online collaborative research and puts forward strategies for addressing these. The following part discusses challenges and complexities drawn from the different perspectives of different authors about the collaboration, and what requires caution for researchers who conduct the future online collaborative research. The sixth part expounds the specific implications for China and the corresponding strategies that should be taken. Last, the paper sums up its core significance and points out the potential threats for future researchers.]]