ABSTRACT
We turned to the task of drawing this book together in mid-December, when an early winter storm rolled into Minnesota and Michigan, bringing the first snow of the season. As colleagues located in the northern part of the United States, we share the know-how of shoveling snow and bundling up on cold winter days. As research integrity scholars, we share an understanding of research problems in our common area and, of course, some fundamental research skills. We use computers with different operating systems, but have been able to work around this problem. In other words, we share many things, particularly our research interests, but also have some important differences. One of us likes the snow; the other is less sure about the joys of winter. Researchers who work in international collaborations are drawn together by their common interests in research problems. The problems create for them a shared world in which they can seemingly work together without further complications. They share the same scientific assumptions and worldview. They use the same tools or provide tools that complement the work their collaborators are doing. They share a common technical vocabulary, even if they speak different languages. They often publish in the same journals and are members of the same professional societies. They all know how to shovel snow. The obvious flaw in this picture is, of course, that our colleagues do not all know how to shovel snow. And while shoveling snow may not be relevant to successful international collaboration in research, there may be other things we share or do not share that are. In drawing together many views of international collaboration and the experiences of international collaborators, this is perhaps the most valuable lesson to learn. International collaboration may at first appear to be just a natural extension of the work of an individual or local group, but in practice it is much more. It is an activity that, of necessity, must move beyond the research itself and take into account differences in national regulations and their effectiveness, legal systems, personal and cultural styles, research environments, and, of course, all of the logistical problems that can arise when your colleague is not just down the hall or in another building. However, before turning to these differences there is one important point that bears brief discussion, the value of international collaboration.
