Grid technologies are widely regarded as important innovations for drawing together distributed knowledge workers into virtual communities. After reviewing the developments in e-science, we examine the emergence of e-social science and the potential impact on scientific discovery. Grids are currently in a key developmental phase during which the field of information systems can bring significant insight. We consider what is new about the Grid phenomena and discuss the issues raised by this particular approach to the virtualization of research practices. Our analysis is organized into three subsections that focus on: developments in e-social science research methods; the theoretical issues involved in pursuing an e-social science agenda; as well as the status and nature of the research materials that it gives rise to in information systems.