Advancing Scientific Teams: Models and Practices for Enhanced Collaboration

The field of team science has undergone significant expansion over the last two decades, demonstrating heightened productivity and innovation through inter-, multi-, and transdisciplinary collaborations. This growth is reflected in the surge of multi-authored studies and increased academic outputs, showcasing a shift toward multi-institutional collaborations. Moreover, this evolution aligns with the growing interest from funding agencies and career pathways in academia, pushing the boundaries of how scientific work is conducted and evaluated. However, despite these advancements, the frameworks that guide the functioning and effectiveness of scientific teams require further exploration and development, particularly in understanding the impacts of different collaborative processes and contextual factors on team outcomes.

This Research Topic aims to address the critical need for validated models of team science that enhance disciplinary and institutional collaboration, improving overall team functionality, outcomes, and impact. By translating group and team theories into the scientific domain, this inquiry will not only refine existing constructs but also innovate developmental methodologies tailored to the unique demands of scientific discovery and dissemination. To foster a progressive environment, the initiative will involve renowned scientists to both critique and contribute to the development of effective team science practices, focusing on building actionable, evidence-based models that can sustain long-term improvements.

To gather further insights in this nuanced exploration of team science, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

-Theoretical frameworks that elucidate collaboration within science-based teams;
-Comparative analyses of collaboration processes between scientific teams and traditional project teams;
-Innovative methodological approaches to studying team dynamics, including data analytics and visualization techniques;
-Field-based qualitative and quantitative studies that offer replicable and robust findings on team science;
-Integrative literature reviews that provide evidence-based insights into effective team science practices.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Team science, collaborative science, scientific teams, team development, team training, team effectiveness, team processes, team innovation, team disciplinarity, team interventions, team diversity, team interdisciplinarity, team research methods

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.