1. A method, comprising: monitoring and recording item viewing activities of a user as the user browses an electronic catalog of items; detecting, based on the monitored item viewing activities and data regarding item similarities, that the user has viewed a plurality of items that are similar to each other; in response to detecting that the user has viewed a plurality of items that are similar to each other, providing an option for the user to initiate creation of a persistent research note containing comparative data regarding at least some of the plurality of items; automatically incorporating catalog data for at least some of the plurality of items into the research note; incorporating research data regarding at least some of the plurality of items into the research note, said research data supplied by the user; and exposing at least a portion of the research note, and/or data extracted therefrom, to other users via pages of said electronic catalog; said method performed in its entirety by a computer system that provides network-based access to the electronic catalog.