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Dr. Niels G. Mede

Assistant Professor of Science Communication

The advantage of big team science: Lessons learned from cognitive science


Journal article


David C. Vaidis, Jacob F. Miranda, Erin M. Buchanan, Yu Fang Yang, Marta Kowal, Kathleen Schmidt, Marta Topor, Michal Misiak, Rachael Miller, John Protzko, Biljana Gjoneska, Jeremy K. Miller, Anna Exner, Flavio Azevedo, Mariola Paruzel-Czachura, Faisal Mushtaq, Catia Oliveira, Jordan R. Wagge, Delphine de Moor, Niels G. Mede, Drew M. Altschul, Yuri G. Pavlov, Yashvin Seetahul, Leanne Boucher, Kimberly C. Doell, Ingmar Visser, Mahmoud M. Elsherif, Ekaterina Pronizius
Collabra: Psychology, vol. 12, 2026


Cite

Cite

APA   Click to copy
Vaidis, D. C., Miranda, J. F., Buchanan, E. M., Yang, Y. F., Kowal, M., Schmidt, K., … Pronizius, E. (2026). The advantage of big team science: Lessons learned from cognitive science. Collabra: Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.160129


Chicago/Turabian   Click to copy
Vaidis, David C., Jacob F. Miranda, Erin M. Buchanan, Yu Fang Yang, Marta Kowal, Kathleen Schmidt, Marta Topor, et al. “The Advantage of Big Team Science: Lessons Learned from Cognitive Science.” Collabra: Psychology 12 (2026).


MLA   Click to copy
Vaidis, David C., et al. “The Advantage of Big Team Science: Lessons Learned from Cognitive Science.” Collabra: Psychology, vol. 12, 2026, doi:10.1525/collabra.160129.


BibTeX   Click to copy

@article{vaidis2026a,
  title = {The advantage of big team science: Lessons learned from cognitive science},
  year = {2026},
  journal = {Collabra: Psychology},
  volume = {12},
  doi = {10.1525/collabra.160129},
  author = {Vaidis, David C. and Miranda, Jacob F. and Buchanan, Erin M. and Yang, Yu Fang and Kowal, Marta and Schmidt, Kathleen and Topor, Marta and Misiak, Michal and Miller, Rachael and Protzko, John and Gjoneska, Biljana and Miller, Jeremy K. and Exner, Anna and Azevedo, Flavio and Paruzel-Czachura, Mariola and Mushtaq, Faisal and Oliveira, Catia and Wagge, Jordan R. and de Moor, Delphine and Mede, Niels G. and Altschul, Drew M. and Pavlov, Yuri G. and Seetahul, Yashvin and Boucher, Leanne and Doell, Kimberly C. and Visser, Ingmar and Elsherif, Mahmoud M. and Pronizius, Ekaterina}
}

The credibility revolution 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 clear role definitions, structured and preregistered workflows, centralized project management, and transparent decision documenting 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. 

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