Fairly often during their research career, students and researchers might seek out or even be presented with the opportunity to begin an exciting collaboration with other researchers in the field. From its initial stages until the very end, the researcher engaging in this collaboration might be plagued with questions about how to share a project with others and the interpersonal aspects of this newly developed collaboration.
When graduate students collaborate with well-established or influential co-authors in the field, they directly benefit from it. One research study published in Nature Communications reported that junior researchers who co-authored at least one research paper with a top scientist can have a long-term impact and increase the probability that the junior researcher would become an influential scientist themselves. Therefore, making sure that the collaboration takes place smoothly from start to finish can have a significant impact on a grad student’s career.
In a Free-Form Friday discussion (Sept. 24, 2021), Dr. Kate Turetsky made meaningful suggestions about steps that should be considered before even beginning a collaboration (see link to the full presentation below). In the beginning, it would be important for the individual considering a collaboration to not just jump into it, but really think about whether they have the time for it and whether they see the potential to develop a mutually beneficial working relationship. Next, individuals engaging in a new collaboration should consider logistics like setting the timeline and expectations, delegating roles and responsibilities, discussing authorship, and generally being transparent in their communication.
All researchers on the team share responsibility for research integrity. Keeping the concern of academic fraud or negligence in mind, authors involved in the project should cross-check the veracity of the raw data and results. It is possible that all researchers collaborating on a project might not have similar access to the data. Expectations about the data and how it will be handled and shared should be discussed. This is especially true when the collaboration spans industry and academia where expectations on how to handle data are intrinsically different.
Lastly, it would help all collaborators on board to create a written document, such as a Memorandum of Understanding. This document can serve as the starting point for setting up expectations. This document should be created collaboratively and would ideally include the main goals of the project, specific details about timelines, roles and responsibilities, minutes from meetings, intellectual property, and authorship for written publications. Not only does such a document help clarify expectations and stay on task, but also builds transparency and consequently, trust in collaborators.
SPSP encourages collaboration in research and has also launched a collaboration zone. If you’re interested in finding a potential collaborator through SPSP, you can submit a listing using this link: https://spsp.org/membership/collaboration-zone
Happy Collaborating!
Resources
- Free Form Friday Slides, (September 24, 2021), Dr. Kate Turetsky https://spsp.org/sites/default/files/collaborating-effectively-fff.pdf
- Best Practices: https://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/connections/best-practices-collaborating-research
- Nature Index, Collaborate Effectively, 5 Tips: https://www.natureindex.com/news-blog/how-to-collaborate-more-effectively-five-tips-for-researchers-science
- Advantages of Collaborating for Graduate Students: https://www.natureindex.com/news-blog/high-profile-co-author-gives-young-researchers-scientists-career-long-advantage
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