Co-producing knowledge: a narrative review of collaboration

The subject of research collaboration is a field of academic research. It contains a multiplicity of strands. In this narrative review the interests of scholars committed to this field are investigated. Greater interest on the ‘hard’ sciences and their collaborative practices dominates the literature. The issue of whether research productivity in terms of outputs in journals is enhanced is one topic. The concept of knowledge co-production (KCP) is an epistemological framework pervading the field; academic-industry collaboration is another focus bearing down on research impact. The review tracks the international dimensions of collaboration within higher education globally. It is against this broad context that our modest qualitative, research collaboration, reported at SERA took place. The author’s experience of harmony offers an optimism where others may ‘find themselves’. It is a venue where scientific and professional capital meet and mix. Future ethnographic studies may critically probe dynamics of collaborations including areas of potential taboo connected with vexed issues of authorship. The ethical and scientific implications around identifying the authenticity of authorial attributions on papers in high stakes performance review cultures should not be downplayed. Stories about collaborations are inseparable from the vulnerability of career credential statements in CVs and on websites. The integrity of knowledge is dependent upon contribution claims being truthful. Ethical governance in academia is incomparably different and decidedly vulnerable when benchmarked against weight of governance in other domains where the law operates in earnest.