In addition to supporting digital modes of scholarly research at Brown, the CDS has an internal research agenda focusing on digital scholarly technologies and methods, development of new digital practices and standards, and emerging modes of scholarly communication. Our areas of particular interest and strength include:

• XML and related technologies and standards: We explore, adapt, and develop open-source XML publication and analysis tools and tools for manipulating and transforming XML data. CDS staff also serve in standards organizations and contribute to the development of new standards.
• Text encoding methods: CDS has a strong interest in scholarly text encoding and in particular the use of the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) Guidelines. Our research in this area focuses on the use of detailed text markup to model scholarly research materials in ways that support advanced analysis and innovative methods of publication. We also explore theories of markup and the ways in which markup models disciplinary methods and assumptions.
• Digital scholarly communication: This is a crucial strand running through much of our work at CDS, as well as an important research area in its own right. In support of our project development activities, we investigate new methods of digital editing and emerging theories of the rhetoric of digital interfaces. CDS projects include experimental digital monographs, digital journals, digital research collections, and hybrid publications that interrogate the boundaries between these forms. We also examine the emerging practices of reading, research, and teaching that accompany new modes of scholarly communication, as well as the requirements for long-term curation and support.
• Digital repositories and data curation: At the center of CDS’s work is the development of durable repositories and best practices for long-term curation of scholarly research data.
• Metadata standards and best practices: CDS takes an active role in the research community in this area, with CDS staff serving on standards development groups and providing testing for new tools and data formats.
• Scholarly technology architecture and tools: We examine how emerging technologies enable and enhance digital research methodologies, and we build frameworks and end-user tools to advance digital scholarship efforts at Brown and elsewhere.

CDS shares this research through a variety of written reports, white papers, conference presentations, and publications, as well as through our blog and projects database.