Tensions often emerge when research and practice come together. These tensions can either hinder progress or be constructively engaged to enable transformation of thought and action. Drawing on the experiences of 32 co-production initiatives from aroun…
Category: research collaboration
What use is academia for small businesses and community interest companies?
Pressures to demonstrate the impact of research has led to increasing numbers of academics looking beyond their peers for new audiences for their research findings, including to small businesses and community interest companies. But how can academia be of use to these groups? Emily Rainsford, LJ Rawlings, Lauren Mistry and Eve Forrest share reflections on a successful collaboration and skills […]
Alphabetical name ordering is discriminatory and harmful to collaborations
When multiple authors collaborate on an article, book, or report, the order in which they are listed is important. How this is done may vary by scientific discipline, with most determining the order according to the authors’ respective contributions. But some fields continue to follow the convention whereby authors are listed in alphabetical order. Matthias Weber argues there is convincing […]
Transdisciplinary PhD programmes produce more high-impact publications and foster increased collaborations
Traditional doctoral programmes require students to gain in-depth knowledge in one subject area. Transdisciplinary programmes aim to foster synthesis across disciplines and focus on translating research findings into real-world solutions, helping students to develop a professional disciplinary identity that is enhanced by multidisciplinary methods and theories. Anna-Sigrid Keck, Stephanie Sloane, Janet M. Liechty, Barbara H. Fiese, and Sharon M. Donovan […]
Barriers to research collaboration: are social scientists constrained by their desire for autonomy?
Researchers everywhere are being pushed to collaborate. Individual academics are being urged to join teams, small teams are encouraged to merge with others to become bigger teams, and institution-wide and inter-institutional collaborations are spreading. With potential benefits including increased chances of funding, visibility, and impact, why, asks Jenny M. Lewis, are social scientists not embracing collaboration more? Might it be […]
Four strategies to increase the likelihood of creating and sustaining successful research teams
Modern scientific expertise rests heavily upon work carried out by teams, rather than scholars working on their own. Proper preparation is key, with some research suggesting that the effectiveness of collaborative work is determined before any of the work is carried out. Howard Aldrich and Akram Al-Turk have identified four structural elements that increase the likelihood of creating and sustaining […]
On the co-production of research: why we should say what we mean, mean what we say, and learn as we go
Researchers are increasingly encouraged to “co-produce” or “co-create” their research, particularly if it is to have that much-prized impact. But what exactly does this really mean? Bev J. Holmes defines co-production as the collaboration between researchers and others with a stake in a project in its governance, priority-setting, conducting of research, and knowledge translation. Once what is meant by co-production is […]
Real-time data on global collaboration networks can support new research and create further connections
Cloud-based technologies provide easier access to the infrastructure and tools needed for research collaboration. The use of these tools can also provide new insights into current collaboration patterns; a picture of what is happening right now rather than what has happened in the past. John Hammersley, reporting on a recent study on research collaboration, considers how this real-time data can […]
A system that prioritises publications means early career researchers’ scholarly attitudes and behaviours remain conservative
Early career researchers (ECRs) are the largest community of researchers but despite this we know little about their scholarly attitudes and behaviours. Reporting the first-year findings of a longitudinal study of an international panel of ECRs, Dave Nicholas reveals that many remain conservative in their scholarly attitudes and practices. ECRs are concerned by “risky” open peer review, regard archiving their […]