ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to contribute to the understanding of how research collaborations in health sciences have evolved over the decades using bibliometrics as the method for data collection. Data driven collaborations are defined as the incentive to share data with relevant partners. Resource driven collaborations are often associated with unique and rare resources such as access to samples from individuals with rare diseases. Biology and biomedical research are other fields where international collaborations are prevalent. Research in health sciences is often driven by the need to carry out clinical studies which relies on finding a relevant population, collection of samples, treatment of samples and analysis. The chapter demonstrates how bibliometric indicators can be used to study collaboration in the field of health sciences. Using co-authorship provides a good overview of the evolution of the field, but to be able to further understand researchers' behaviour, intentions, and strategies, qualitative methods should be used as a complementary resource.
