‘Speed collaborations’ and the quality versus quantity debate in ecology and evolution publications

The argument over whether quality or quantity is more valuable to the advancement of ecology and evolutionary science continues to rage (Fischer et al. 2012, Loyola et al. 2012). With research quantity (i.e., number of papers published) leading to higher citation rates and increased funding (Lortie et al. 2012), some researchers have made the call for their colleagues to refocus efforts in order to emphasize the roles of creativity and communication to inspire quality research (e.g., Fischer et al. 2012). The quality and quantity spectrum does not need to represent a trade-off; both attributes are important to the advancement of science and should not be considered mutually exclusive. Unfortunately, finding equilibrium between quality and quantity is a difficult balancing act in the electronic era. How then, can we ensure both quality and quantity in scientific research? The answer may lie in innovative collaborations. Collaboration among researchers is immensely powerful and, arguably perhaps, becoming a necessary means of advancing knowledge. To remain influential and to keep pace in a fast moving world, researchers must find new ways to spark scientific creativity, and must do so in a timely manner. One novel approach to tackle this is short duration, focused, multi-disciplinary collaborations, herein referred to as ‘speed collaborations’ (Favaro et al. 2013). Here, I argue that expanding on this new view of rapid, collaborative research could bridge the gap between quality and quantity research by (i) generating new ideas, (ii) enhancing networks, and (iii) facilitating communication over a compressed time-scale. i. Speed collaborations to spark ideas and ignite creative scientific thinking