Team Science, Justice, and the Co-Production of Knowledge

Am J Community Psychol. 2018 Sep;62(1-2):13-22. doi: 10.1002/ajcp.12252. Epub 2018 Jun 8.

Abstract

Science increasingly consists of interdisciplinary team-based research to address complex social, biomedical, public health, and global challenges through a practice known as team science. In this article, I discuss the added value of team science, including participatory team science, for generating scientific knowledge. Participatory team science involves the inclusion of public stakeholders on science teams as co-producers of knowledge. I also discuss how constructivism offers a common philosophical foundation for both community psychology and team science, and how this foundation aligns well with contemporary developments in science that emphasize the co-production of knowledge. I conclude with a discussion of how the co-production of knowledge in team science can promote justice.

Keywords: Heterarchy; Interdisciplinary; Mode 2 science; Participatory; Perspectivism; Team science.

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Interdisciplinary Communication*
  • Knowledge
  • Psychology, Social / methods
  • Psychology, Social / organization & administration
  • Science* / methods
  • Science* / organization & administration
  • Social Justice*