Trends In Scholarly Collaboration

Researchers in science and engineering have a long tradition of collaboration, and increasingly carry out these collaborations across geographical distance. Similar trends exist in industry, where virtual teams are increasing in frequency. While we know that such dispersed collaborations are difficult, there is growing evidence of success. The physical and biological sciences have led the way, though more recently social and behavioral scientists have also adopted these new modes of working. Most recently of all, there is growing evidence of collaborative scholarship in the humanities, including some of it carried out under conditions of geographical dispersion. I will review these trends, and in particular comment on whether the factors that distinguish success from failure in such collaborations are the same across these diverse domains.