Abstract
Greater size and complexity of research activities lead to a higher need for collaboration, which has been reflected in the formation of social relationships in the form of research coalitions and collaborative research networks in the past decades. This is an empirical paper that explores the pertinent issues of informal networks in tourism publishing. The paper undertakes a thorough review of the relevant literature before developing propositions regarding collaborative activities of tourism researchers. To empirically test how and why researchers collaborate, a web-based electronic study was carried out asking members of international scientific tourism organizations about their collaboration activities. Findings reveal that tourism researchers collaborate mainly for accessing expertise and for working efficiently.
Highlights
The greatest transformation in the organization of scientific work is the orientation on largescale projects, or ‘big science’
Greater size and complexity of research activities lead to a higher need for collaboration, which has been reflected in the formation of social relationships in the form of research coalitions and collaborative research networks in the past decades
This is an empirical paper that explores the pertinent issues of informal networks in tourism publishing
Summary
The greatest transformation in the organization of scientific work is the orientation on largescale projects, or ‘big science’. Science is regarded as a collaborative enterprise (Finholt, 2003). A new science has been emerging – one that speaks directly to the momentous events going on around it. Several sociological studies of modern science and the communication patterns of scientists agree that the form of organization which has become most known are ‘invisible colleges’” The name derives historically from a group of people in the mid-seventeenth century who later formally organized themselves into the Royal Society of London. The people in such a RESEARCH PAPER group claim to be reasonably in touch with everyone else who is contributing materially to research in this subject. The question is if it does require five, six or seven co-authors to produce a quality article
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