Building Infrastructure for International Collaborative Research in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Summary of a Workshop (2014) / Chapter Skim
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3 Issues in Initiating, Organizing, and Planning International Collaborations
3 Issues in Initiating, Organizing, and Planning International Collaborations
Pages 17-28
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From page 17... ...
These issues arise because international collaborators necessarily come from different cultural backgrounds and intellectual traditions, work within differing national bureaucratic and legal contexts, and often belong to different academic disciplines, which can greatly complicate the task of agreeing on research concepts and methods. Obtaining funding for international research can also be extremely complicated, both because of differing national requirements and policies and because working in an international context generally takes more time and therefore more money than research within a single country.
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From page 18... ...
Although the process of organizing such agreements can be less formal in the United States, the need for clarity concerning such issues as ownership of data, procedures for sharing it, and the funding of project elements such as data collection, analysis, conferences, and meetings of collaborators is every bit as great, Charles Super noted. Key points in such agreements should, from the start, make the project truly international and make it clear whether the project has one director or is a federation of equal partners, suggested Joseph Tobin, Elizabeth Garrard Hall Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of Georgia, in written remarks read to the workshop.
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From page 19... ...
In addition to the collaborating teams of researchers, Barrett noted, nonacademic stakeholders often also play crucial roles in policy-relevant research projects and therefore also need to be involved from the outset. His PIDOP project used several methods to accomplish this, he continued, including compiling a directory of stakeholders early in the project and keeping them informed through policy briefing papers and periodic newsletters as work progressed.
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From page 20... ...
FINDING COLLABORATORS A major challenge of collaborating across national lines is the potentially daunting task of identifying potential collaborators and establishing relationships
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From page 21... ...
Alter gave the example of the Barometer studies of public attitudes toward democracy and government that are designed to collect data and also build local capacity in Africa, Europe, the Arab Countries, Asia, and Latin America. Online technology, especially cloud computing, forms the basis for a third strategy for creating opportunities to work with colleagues in less developed countries.
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From page 22... ...
Working with local collaborators also helps avoid making embarrassing mistakes and wasting valuable time. In Arab countries, Gelfand noted, local collaborators pointed out that using money as an incentive or reward for subjects, although routine in the United States, is inappropriate because people see something fundamentally dishonorable about accepting money to participate in research.
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From page 23... ...
She errs on the side of making sure that her collaborators are comfortable with what is happening. AUTHORSHIP QUESTIONS Reaching agreement in advance on authorship and dissemination of research results is particularly crucial but can be tricky, participants observed.
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From page 24... ...
In any event, it is appropriate for Harkness and Super, and the lead investigators, to be kept informed about planned single-country publications, and to receive copies in advance. Principle 2.
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From page 25... ...
. All statements made and opinions expressed are the sole responsibility of the authors." Principle 7: It is expected that co-authorship within national teams will follow local traditions and guidelines; however, national teams will attempt to achieve a common standard of equity for multi-team publications.
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From page 26... ...
For NSF, Emig noted, major drivers of support for international collaborations include "gaining access to unique facilities, equipment, research environments [and] sharing the costs and risks of scientific investments," as well as "exchanging expertise on techniques and other insights" and building capacity.
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From page 27... ...
Beyond that, context and partnerships are key. Funders look at who the local collaborators are when evaluating proposals containing international work.
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