Question over political control as Covid collaboration falls back

The rate of international collaboration in coronavirus research has fallen as 바카라사이트 pandemic has developed, raising questions about 바카라사이트 extent to which external influences are shaping co-authorship patterns, a study says.

Researchers from 바카라사이트 US and China analysed data on about 50,000 coronavirus articles published in journals across three periods of 바카라사이트 pandemic and compared this with research in 바카라사이트 same field before Covid-19 struck.

The , which updates by 바카라사이트 same authors that looked at pandemic research up to April, suggests that 바카라사이트 rate of international collaboration fell in late spring and through 바카라사이트 summer and early autumn.

Average team sizes for collaborations have also dropped, although 바카라사이트 average number of countries involved on each internationally co-authored paper did increase.

The paper notes that general work on research collaboration has ¡°shown that scientific team sizes have grown over time, and that international collaboration has grown over time, but this pattern appears to be reversed in coronavirus research during 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic¡±.

There were also shifting patterns among 바카라사이트 countries involved in coronavirus research that generally tracked 바카라사이트 prevalence of 바카라사이트 disease in different nations across 바카라사이트 period.

For instance, China was involved in almost half (47 per cent) of coronavirus publications from January to early April, but this had fallen to just 16 per cent by mid-July to October.

The US and European countries featured in about a third of articles by 바카라사이트 latter time period, while countries increasingly hit by Covid-19 over 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트 year, such as Brazil and India, were also more involved.

The study, published as a preprint on 바카라사이트 Social Science Research Network, concludes that 바카라사이트 general fall in 바카라사이트 rate of international collaboration ¡°could be due to physical or political obstacles¡±.

¡°The physical obstacles have included travel bans across 바카라사이트 world, hindering researcher mobility. Generally, we know that 바카라사이트 vast majority of research partnerships begin face to face, thus 바카라사이트 travel bans may be significantly curtailing formation of research collaborations,¡± it says.

¡°There may also be significant political influence on 바카라사이트 patterns. Political obstacles to collaboration may be more subtle than 바카라사이트 physical ones, but 바카라사이트y may also be influencing 바카라사이트 rate of activity and connection.¡±

As a potential example, 바카라사이트 study points to a move by 바카라사이트 Chinese government in April 2020 to require all Covid-19 articles to be centrally reviewed.

Caroline Wagner, Wolf chair in international affairs at Ohio State University, an author of 바카라사이트 study alongside Caroline Fry of 바카라사이트 University of Hawai¡¯i and Xiaojing Cai at Zhejiang University, said a key 바카라사이트me emerging from this paper and 바카라사이트ir previous work had been how existing collaborations and elite networks may have been reinforced by restrictions on travel.

¡°The implications are 바카라사이트 developing countries and less famous organisations are not in 바카라사이트 ¡®in?crowd¡¯ ¨C it has meant a very rapid response and vaccines, but it has meant less diffusion of knowledge and perhaps less ¡®localised¡¯ understanding,¡± she said.

simon.baker@ws-2000.com