Scientific collaboration in Brazilian researches: a comparative study in the information science, mathematics and dentistry fields

Abstract

This study attempts to describe, in a comparative way, scientific collaboration and co-authoring activities and understanding of Brazilian researchers of productivity level 1 at the National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq). In order to do so, a questionnaire was sent to the researchers of productivity level 1 at CNPq in the Mathematics, Dentistry and Information Science fields, with questions about scientific collaboration and co-authoring activities. We analyzed the scientific production of the researchers who answered the questionnaire and we have identified that 78% of the participants consider that scientific collaboration and co-authorship are different activities, and the potential and usual number of research collaborators is between 2 and 3 in Mathematics and Information Science, and between 5 and 6 collaborators in Dentistry. Differences among fields were pointed out by identifying main collaborators and co-authors. The reasons for collaborating vary according to the nature of the research, however, the percentages are high in these three areas: ''training of researchers and students'', ''desire to increase their own experience through the experience of others'' and ''increased productivity.'' From the analysis of the scientific production declared in their Lattes Curriculum, we have found that the average number of authors per publication in the field of Information Science is 2.2 authors, in Mathematics is 2.8 authors per publication, and in Dentistry the average is 5.3 authors per publication. We have concluded that scientific collaboration and co-authorship are terms assigned to different activities for the analyzed fields.

Assessment of Researchers Through Bibliometric Indicators: The Area of Information and Library Science in Spain as a Case Study (2001–2015)

“…That said, the low to absent levels of collaboration observed among many of the most productive authors identified reflects the dichotomous nature of the researchers studied: some show a markedly national orientation, while others-mainly those whose work is concentrated on performing bibliometric studies-show considerable international projection. The overall coauthorship index obtained from the set of analyzed documents (2.8) is slightly above that observed among Brazilian researchers in the area of Library and Information Science in 2010-2012 (2.2) (Hilário and Grácio, 2017), among papers published in IberoAmerican Library and Information Science journals in 2006-2014 (2.24) (Maz-Machado et al, 2015), and among the 15 core Library and Information Science journals in 2000-2011 (2.11) (Han et al, 2014). However, the coauthorship index pertaining to most of the top-producing authors is far higher, suggesting an association between productivity and degree of collaboration, albeit without excluding the potential presence of inflated coauthorship values in some cases.…”

Bibliometric Analysis of the Journal Acta Stomatologica Croatica: 2009-2018

“…In the present study, the average number of authors / article was 4.29. A recent study carried out with Brazilian researchers with notorious scientific production indicated that they consider four the ideal number of co-authors to enhance scientific production ( 25 ). Collaboration among authors makes research more visible, since co-authors add their scientific knowledge, enabling deeper evaluations, which, consequently, create more favorable conditions for the production of high-quality works ( 26 ).…”

Top-100 Most Cited Dental Articles with Authors from Brazil

“…The number of investigators and journals in a subarea may also influence the number of papers published yearly. A recent survey with Brazilian researchers with recognized significant scientific output indicated that they consider four as the ideal number of coauthors in order to potentiate the scientific production (12). In addition, the study showed that dental articles have an average of 5.3 authors (12).…”

“…A recent survey with Brazilian researchers with recognized significant scientific output indicated that they consider four as the ideal number of coauthors in order to potentiate the scientific production (12). In addition, the study showed that dental articles have an average of 5.3 authors (12). The connection between authors has increased over time, leading to smaller distances between researchers in the network and a larger number of coauthors (13).…”