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Indicators

7.2 COLLABORATION AND COLLABORATION INDICES

Already in 1963, Price (1963) predicted that by 1980 the single author
would be extinct. This prediction did not turn out to be correct, but the
tendency of decreasing numbers of single-authored publications has con-
tinued since then. Although Price is best known for this prediction, he
was not the first to notice the decrease in single-authored publications as
Smith (1958) had already observed this trend in the field of psychology.
Price further stated that the number of multiple authorship in a field
reflects the financial support and the economic value attributed by society
to that field. More recent information about multiple authorship can be
found in Abramo et al. (2011).
Sonnenwald (2007) defines research collaboration as “the interaction
taking place within a social context among two or more scientists that
facilitates the sharing of meaning and completion of tasks with respect to a
mutually shared, superordinate goal.” Collaborative research leads to a
combination of diverse perspectives, interpretations and models and avoids
ignorance (about certain aspects of the topic of research, or about necessary
technical skills) and lock-ins (doing what “everyone has always done”).

7.2.1 Coauthorship Roles
Working together on a scientific project or during a scientific investiga-
tion does not automatically lead to coauthorship. This depends on the
role a scientist plays during the investigation, and the “intensity” with
which this role is played. Cosigning a project application is totally differ-
ent from leading a team of six researchers with different and specific
skills.
We reproduce (and slightly adapt) the taxonomy of Allen et al. (2014)
which allows collaborators to describe their role(s) in a collaborative effort
(Table 7.1). Deciding which contribution leads to (co-)authorship or
maybe being the first author is another problem (see Subsection 2.3.4). In
a study on marine biology it might be that the one thing everyone
remembers is that fantastic picture that has been taken during the
research. Yet, the photographer is probably not a coauthor of the associ-
ated publication. Note also that for each category in Table 7.1 there
might be a leader and one or more scientists in a supporting role. It is
also possible that some categories do not apply for certain investigations.
This remark certainly applies for theoretical studies.