Science, social networks, and collaboration: an analysis of publications in fisheries science from 1990 to 2018

Understanding the nature of collaboration underpinning scientific work in fisheries is critical to building the social foundations for effective scientific progress in addressing complex socio-ecological systems. We examine the nature of interdisciplinary work in fisheries through an analysis of nearly three decades of peer-reviewed papers authored by researchers affiliated with NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center in the United States. Using social network analysis, and approaches novel to scientometrics such as grounded theory building, we map and analyse the relationships between authors of different disciplinary backgrounds, visualize these changing networks over time, and evaluate the nature of collaboration with a particular emphasis given to the integration of the social sciences. Our analysis suggests that areas of research such as ecosystem-based management and climate change have helped create synergies between the natural and social sciences, pointing to the importance of organizational changes promoting multiple perspectives, the institutionalization of integrated approaches, and openness to diverse understandings.