Community Blog

Keep up-to-date on postgraduate related issues with our quick reads written by students, postdocs, professors and industry leaders.

How to Build a Research Collaboration

Picture of Yasmine U.
How to Build a Research Collaboration

How best to build a research collaboration is something that many people in the scientific and medical fields wish they knew. The process of collaboration has been around for decades, but it is only now that researchers have started to take full advantage of the process. The value of this concept should not be underestimated. With the help of the Internet, scientists are able to share their findings with colleagues across the world immediately. As such, learning how to build a research collaboration is vital for any scientist looking to advance his or her research into new frontiers. Learning how to effectively collaborate with others is also an important skill for a student to learn and develop in academia.

There are many factors that go into building a good research network and a successful collaboration. These include the sharing of ideas and data, the sharing of methods and procedures, and sharing of results and commentary. The ability to properly coordinate the activities of researchers plays an important role in getting the best results from the collaboration. For example, a well organised international collaboration could involve co-authors that never end up meeting in person but still excel by enabling access to resources at each other’s institutions that may otherwise not have been possible.

In recent years, a number of different approaches have been put into place to facilitate the process of building a research collaboration. One approach is to use social networks. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others have allowed scientists to interact with each other. This is particularly useful when building an international collaboration with a collaborator in another country. If you’re a student, this is also a great way to connect with highly established researchers within your area of interest in academia.

Another way of building a research collaboration is by making use of electronic log books or journals. Through electronic journals, results and discussions can be shared among the researchers involved in a particular study. In this case, the scientists upload their work to the journal and then wait for comments and suggestions from other experts within their international collaboration before publishing their results. A key factor to be clear on early on are expectations about authorship of peer-reviewed publications and who will, for example, by first and senior authors; this can often be a source of conflict if not made clear at the start.

Another popular method is via group presentations. Presentations are often used at conferences or during lectures. These presentations often cover important topics that all the participants are interested in. Some of these topics revolve around a specific theme. The presentations allow all the participating researchers to put their findings into the open and identify those with whom they may wish to collaborate. International conferences are often the best way to meet like-minded researchers from another institute or another country.

Brainstorming sessions are another method for getting meaningful results out of collaboration efforts. Brainstorming is essentially a way of people talking to one another about their work. It may involve discussing an idea, paper, or research paper. When these conversations take place, results are sure to come out.

Building a research collaboration is easy if you put your mind to it. You must first decide what specific topic or research topic you would like to research. Next, find out who your fellow researchers are. Once these two are decided, you can then create plans on how to make your work more meaningful to each of the individuals involved.

How to build a research collaboration is not that difficult once you know the steps to take. Your plan should consist of a short-term goal as well as long-term goals. As mentioned earlier, all the individuals involved in the collaboration must be interested in the topic or research topic. If they do not share the same interest in the topic, then the plan will not work. To make it work, you must establish goals for everyone involved in the collaborative project and define realistic expectations from each collaborator.

Your research proposal should also include a summary of your research findings. This is not mandatory, but it will give your team members an idea on what they are reading. A summary is also good because it allows people to review the proposal and make their own judgments. Your work normally ends with a review of the proposals. Usually, this review includes comments and suggestions.

After reading the research proposal, you and the other researchers must then form a working group to discuss and prepare your research report. This working group will consist of the initiator of the project, members of the collaborating team, and any other interested individuals. All the members should be in agreement with the overall purpose and direction of the project. The working group should be meeting at least once a week to discuss and develop a plan to complete the research. You should try to maintain an open line of communication with the other team members. Communication is important for research collaborations, as it allows you to properly gauge the progress of the project.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Join

Thousands

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

Browse PhDs Now

Other Posts
Dissertation Title Page
The Dissertation Title Page

The title page of your dissertation or thesis conveys all the essential details about your project. This guide helps you format it in the correct way.

Read More »
Interviews
Islam Khan

Islam is in the final year of his Physics PhD program at Washington State University in the field of particle cosmology. His research is on the Possible Connections Between Inflaton and Dark Energy Within An Oscillating Reheating Framework.

Read More »
Rowan Hooper Profile
Dr Rowan Hooper

Dr Hooper gained his PhD in evolutionary biology from the the University of Sheffield. He is now a journalist and writer (last book called Superhuman) and podcast editor at New Scientist.

Read More »

Browse PhDs Now

Join Thousands of Students

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

Verified by MonsterInsights