Global Collaboration Dynamics in Scientific Research: How Often Does It Occur?

Author(s):

Mark Tschopp

Abstract:

This technical report aims to understand the role of collaboration in the scientific landscape, with a focus on international collaborations that transcend geographical boundaries. The objective of this research is to explore how often this occurs by examining the temporal evolution of scientific articles, the dynamics of global scientific collaboration, and the asymmetries in global collaboration for countries, U.S. institutions, U.S. funding agencies, and research areas. The research methodology is grounded in the interdisciplinary discipline of Science of Science, utilizing the OpenAlex database to extract insights into the collaborative landscape from millions of scientific articles. The report presents new methodologies for analyzing and visualizing global collaboration to show the changes in collaboration through the decades for top countries, with a particular focus on the United States’ collaborations and the evolving nature of China in global collaboration. The findings provide insights into the global dynamics of collaboration on scientific progress and ultimately aim to guide decisions pertaining to international partnerships in advancing science.