ABSTRACT

As the world becomes increasingly complex by the day, differentforms ofcollaboration has become critical and researchers are coming together through collaborative efforts to make informed decisions and solve complex problems, especially in universities. Collaborative research among diverse groups of academics is now highly promoted by institutions and funding agencies, and very often provide a form of mentoring and support to younger researchers. By combining the strengths of multiple perspectives, collaborative research creates a strongerfoundation for the development ofnew ideas and solutions. Collaborative research has become the key to developing solutions that can have a significant impact on the society or on a profession, including the Library and Information Science (LIS) profession. This opinion paper therefore, examined collaborative research for career progression ofLIS professionals in university libraries in Nigeria. It discussed the concept of collaborative research; various types ofcollaborative research needed by LISprofessionalsfortheir career progression such as, collaboration within the institution, interdisciplinary collaboration etc.; elements of collaborative research, benefits of collaborative research, and challenges of successful collaborative research such as problem ofsharing responsibilities and credits, conflicts, poor communication, name tagging, etc. The paper mapped out strategies for a successful collaborative research such as clear communication, collaborative agreement among others. Thepaperrecommended that LISprofessionals whoparticipate in collaborative research must consider the ethical implications oj research and to ensure that the rights and privacy ofparticipants are respected, among others