Starting and sustaining fruitful collaborations in psychology

Much of psychological science relies on collaboration—from generating new theories and study ideas, to collecting and analyzing data, to writing and sharing results with the broader community. Learning how to collaborate with others is an important skill, yet this process is not often explicitly discussed in academia. Here, five researchers from diverse backgrounds share their experiences and advice on starting and sustaining collaborations. In doing so, they reflect on aspects of both successful (and failed) collaborations with students, colleagues within and outside of psychology, and members of industry and organizational partners beyond academia. Recommendations and challenges of productive collaborations are discussed, along with examples of how collaborative teams can contribute to psychological science, address real-world issues, and make the process of conducting research more enjoyable and rewarding.

Duke Scholars

Author Sarah Elizabeth Gaither Psychology & Neuroscience