Collaboration
Research is often a collaborative effort involving individuals from various academic departments and, increasingly, multiple institutions. While these partnerships can enhance the quality and scope of research, they also introduce a range of ethical challenges due to the number of people, organizations, and resources involved.
Team members may be at different stages in their careers and may have varying goals and expectations. To help prevent personal or professional conflicts from disrupting the research environment, it is important to create space for open communication, especially for trainees.
Team Science
Team science is the collaborative effort to address a scientific challenge that leverages the strengths and expertise of professionals trained in different fields.
The National Cancer Institute’s Team Science Toolkit is a user-generated collection of information and resources that support the practice and study of team science. The Toolkit connects professionals from many disciplines, providing a forum for sharing knowledge and tools to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of team science initiatives.
Collaboration Plans
Research collaborations range from a project with colleagues from the same discipline to participating with a mix of researchers from diverse disciplines and settings. One should be aware that collaborators can be at different stages of their careers and can have different expectations in terms of what they aim to accomplish while conducting research. Additionally, discipline specific culture may come with different aims and expectations or norms for research that one may not be aware of when working with others in different disciplines. Collaboration plans may benefit any scientific endeavor that includes two or more investigators working together. Though as a proposed scientific collaboration grows in scope and size, such plans become increasingly important.
These plans differ from Data Use Agreements, Memorandums of Understanding, and other agreements that require formal signature and agreement on behalf of Florida Atlantic. Researchers should not enter into these agreements on their own.
While not required, several tools and techniques exist to support researchers in development of collaboration plans:
Preempting Discord: Prenuptial Agreements for Scientists