Why Trust a Collaboration?

Public trust in science has received increased attention. Yet much of that literature presumes trust is directed at individual experts. Contemporary scientific knowledge, however, is predominantly produced and certified by collaborations. This workshop asks a central question: what does it mean to trust a collaboration, and on what grounds might such trust be justified?

We invite scholars and practitioners from philosophy of science, sociology of science, science and technology studies, science communication, ethics, policy studies and related fields to join a focused, interdisciplinary conversation about the epistemic character of collaborations and the conditions for trust in collective scientific endeavours.

Workshop themes and questions

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

• The nature of collective epistemic agency and whether collaborations can possess distinct epistemic virtues.
• How collaborations distribute and organise epistemic and ethical responsibility.
• Second‑order criteria for non‑experts assessing collaborative outputs (credentials, track record, procedural markers).
• Tensions between transparency and coordinated communication: when is opacity is epistemically justified.
• Institutional and procedural mechanisms that support or undermine trust (governance, authorship practices, standard operating procedures).
• Implications for science communication, policy, and public engagement.

Key questions we will explore include:

• Do collaborations have distinctive epistemic properties, and how do these affect trustworthiness?
• Should well‑established epistemic virtues (e.g. transparency) be reinterpreted in light of collaborative organisation?
• How should epistemic and ethical responsibility be attributed within collectives, and how does this impact public accountability?

We welcome your participation in what promises to be a stimulating exchange on a timely and practically important topic.

How to register

To register, please send the following to: [email protected]

• Full name and affiliation
• Position (e.g. Professor, Postdoc, PhD candidate)
• A short informal statement of interest (max. 200 words) describing what you hope to contribute or learn

Registration will be confirmed on a rolling basis until capacity is reached. 

Organisers and enquiries

For further information, questions about accessibility, or to propose a short workshop activity, please contact one or all of the organisers on

Sophie: [email protected]

Siska: [email protected]

Haixin: [email protected]

Paula: [email protected]

Please include “Why Trust a Collaboration? — Registration” in the subject line.