The Advantage of Big Team Science: Lessons Learned from Cognitive Science
The replication crisis in psychology and related sciences contributed to the adoption of large-scale research initiatives known as Big Team Science (BTS). BTS has made significant advances in addressing issues of replication, statistical power, and diversity through the use of larger samples and more representative cross-cultural data. However, while these collaborations hold great potential, they also introduce unique challenges related to their scale. Drawing on experiences from successful BTS projects, we identified and outlined key strategies for overcoming diversity, volunteering, and capacity challenges. We emphasize the need for the implementation of strong organizational practices and the distribution of responsibility to prevent common pitfalls. Ultimately, we call for reflection on the strengths and limitations of BTS to enhance the quality, generalizability, and impact of research across disciplines. This work complements existing BTS guides by offering experientially-grounded, discipline-specific strategies and addressing underexplored logistical, ethical, and epistemological challenges in large scale collaborations.
Authors
- Jordan Wagge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5105-2084)
- Delphine De Moor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2474-6125)
- Yufang Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9089-6020)
- Drew Altschul (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7053-4209)
- Erin Michelle Buchanan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9689-4189)
- John Protzko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5710-8635)
- Marta Kowal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9050-1471)
- Yuri G. Pavlov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3896-5145)
- Kathleen Schmidt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9946-5953)
- Niels G. Mede (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5707-7568)
- Kimberly C Doell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0043-9609)
- Jeremy K. Miller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4409-7660)
- Mariola Paruzel‐Czachura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8716-9778)
- Leanne Boucher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7587-0869)
- Michał Misiak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6892-3325)
- Faisal Mushtaq (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7881-1127)
- Rachael Miller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2996-9571)
- Anna Exner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0741-9045)
- Biljana Gjoneska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1200-6672)
- Jacob Francisco Miranda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2553-1273)
- Marta Topor
- David C. Vaidis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1954-2219)
- Catia Margarida Oliveira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2976-3330)
- Flávio Azevedo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9000-8513)
- Ingmar Visser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3855-2778)
- Mahmoud Medhat Elsherif (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0540-3998)
- Ekaterina Pronizius (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1446-196X)
- Yashvin Seetahul (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7487-3398)
Publication Details
- Published
- 2025-08-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/yvm5h_v2
- Primary Topic
- Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Leverhulme Trust
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Austrian Science Fund