Towards inclusive global collaborations in coral reef science

Protecting and restoring coral reefs demands concerted global efforts that
transcend national boundaries. However, equitable participation in coral
reef science remains challenging, particularly for researchers from
lower-income nations. Through quantitative scientometric analyses and
qualitative surveys, we examined global collaboration dynamics in coral
reef research. Our findings reveal that high-income countries dominate the
research landscape, often sidelining contributions from lower-income
regions. While international collaborations were valued for benefits like
access to funding, opportunities for professional development, enhanced
publication success and improved conservation outcomes, most partnerships
were short-term, with limited opportunities for evolving roles.
Researchers from developing nations face significant barriers, including
undervaluation of contributions, differing expectations around authorship,
and ethical concerns like parachute science and tokenism, raising concerns
about inclusivity and respect for local expertise. To improve
collaborative practices and increase participation in coral reef science
we propose actionable recommendations directed towards publishers, funders
and the greater coral reef research community. We recommend fostering
mutual respect, building long-term relationships, and promoting fair
funding and publishing practices. These steps are essential for equitable
research collaborations that support coral reefs and the communities that
depend on them.

Survey design and
implementation We conducted an
international survey aimed at evaluating collaboration and authorship
practices within the coral reef science/conservation community. This study
was conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines and received approval
from the Institutional Biosafety and Ethics Committee (IBEC) at King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) under protocol
23IBEC062 and 24IBEC024. All participants were informed about the purpose
of the research, and their participation was voluntary. Informed consent
was obtained from all participants, and they were assured of the
confidentiality and anonymity of their responses. Participants were given
the right to withdraw from the study at any time without any
consequences. The survey, comprising 58 questions, was
open to anyone working with coral reefs and we received responses from
people working in academia, NGOs, government, industry, and tourism. The
survey addressed a variety of ethical consideration, encompassing critical
elements such as authorship naming, the prevalence of "parachute
science" and “tokenism” practices, and ethical misconduct.
Explanations for concept such as parachute science and tokenism were
provided in the survey. Parachute was described as the practice whereby
international scientists from higher-income countries, conduct field
studies in a lower income nation, without engaging or acknowledging any
local researchers, and tokenisms was described as the practice of making
only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to be inclusive to members of
minority groups, especially by recruiting people from underrepresented
groups in order to give the appearance of racial (or gender) equality
within a workplace or educational context. The survey was designed to
explore variables such as gender, career rank, nationality/geographic
factors, and more, aiming to uncover their influence on collaborative
dynamics and ethical practices. To ensure the survey’s relevance across
diverse cultural and economic contexts, a dedicated webinar was organized
in partnership with collaborators (authors), to draft relevant questions
attuned to a variety of socio-economic situations. This collective effort
significantly shaped the survey's inclusivity and cultural
sensitivity. Additionally, the survey was translated into eight different
languages, to enhance its accessibility to a broader audience.
Translations were done using AI tools (ChatGPT and Google translate) and
were later reviewed and corrected by native speakers to ensure
comprehensibility. Prospective survey participants were
identified using the WOS database that was used for the bibliometric
analysis, from which email addresses of corresponding authors could be
extracted. The sample was randomly selected but we tried to specifically
select for a broad geographical representation. Using the Web of Science
(WoS) as a database inherently introduces biases, as it tends to favor
researchers working in the natural sciences and those with higher
publication outputs. To mitigate this bias, enhance outreach, and
encourage participation from a diverse range of backgrounds, the survey
was also promoted on various social media platforms, including Twitter,
LinkedIn, and Instagram. Moreover, it was directly shared within the
professional networks of all co-authors and we encouraged people to share
the survey in their institutions and networks. We also asked international
coral reef organisations to share the survey on their platforms.
The survey was launched in November 2023 and responses were
collected over four months (until March 1st 2024).
Overall, we received 138 responses, but our analysis was constrained to
105 respondents who provided complete and comprehensive responses on the
selected analytical variables.

# Towards inclusive global collaborations in coral reef science
[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.d2547d89w](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.d2547d89w) ## **Overview** This dataset contains responses from an international survey on collaboration and authorship practices within the coral reef science and conservation community (published article: [https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-025-00120-x](https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-025-00120-x)). The study explores how researchers across academia, NGOs, government, industry, and tourism collaborate, the challenges they face, and ethical concerns related to authorship, inclusion, and research integrity. A key focus of the survey was to assess ethical challenges in international collaborations, including parachute science (where foreign researchers conduct studies in lower-income nations without engaging local scientists) and tokenism (where underrepresented groups are included for optics rather than meaningful participation). The dataset also captures experiences with data sharing, funding accessibility, research leadership opportunities, and authorship disputes, providing a broad perspective on power dynamics and barriers in international research. To make the survey widely accessible, it was translated into eight languages and promoted across professional networks and social media. The responses have been fully anonymized to ensure participant confidentiality. The study received ethical approval from KAUST’s Institutional Biosafety and Ethics Committee (IBEC) under Protocols 23IBEC062 and 24IBEC024. ## Description of the data and file structure #### File: Responses_anonymised.xlsx **Description:** This file contains the anonymized responses from survey participants. Personally identifiable information (PII) has been removed or de-identified to protect participant confidentiality. **Note:** *DNR* (Did Not Respond) indicates that respondents did not provide an answer to the question. **Data structure:** * Columns: Represent survey questions and metadata fields. * Rows: Each row represents an anonymized participant’s response. * Data Types: * Categorical responses (e.g., multiple-choice answers). * Free-text responses (open-ended questions) anonymised. * Numeric responses (e.g., number of collaborations). #### File: Survey on International Collaborations in Coral Reef Science.pdf **Description**: This document contains the full survey questionnaire, including all questions that participants responded to. It provides context on the structure and purpose of the survey. ####