How scientific labor is divided in international collaboration: comparative evidence from China and the United States

While international scientific collaboration has been extensively studied, the internal division of labor within these partnerships remains an underexplored area. This study provides an in-depth comparative analysis of the division of labor between China and the United States, using structured CRediT data of publications from 2019 to 2023. Our multi-layered framework examines both the breadth of task participation and the weight of personnel contribution, revealing two distinct national models. China follows a model of collaboration that can be described as comprehensive and relatively independent. Chinese researchers contribute throughout the full research process, but with limited joint engagement with international partners in each task. In contrast, the United States follows a model of integrated partnership with significantly higher rates of joint, synergistic work, but engages in fewer tasks. We also find that these models are influenced by how team leadership is distributed among authors. The different patterns are particularly apparent in China-US collaborations, where a highly imbalanced division of labor emerges with Chinese teams predominantly leading project execution and US teams as aiding. Our methods and findings may deepen the understanding of the different roles countries take in international research collaboration and thereby provide key insights for science policy.