Enabling Effective Exoplanet / Planetary Collaborative Science

TL;DR

This paper discusses barriers to collaboration between exoplanetary and solar system planetary sciences and proposes institutional and policy solutions to enhance interdisciplinary research.

Contribution

It identifies key institutional and cultural barriers and suggests specific structural and policy changes to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Findings

Identifies barriers impeding collaboration between the two fields.

Proposes policy and structural solutions for fostering interdisciplinarity.

Highlights the role of institutions and publishers in facilitating collaboration.

Abstract

The field of exoplanetary science has emerged over the past two decades, rising up alongside traditional solar system planetary science. Both fields focus on understanding the processes which form and sculpt planets through time, yet there has been less scientific exchange between the two communities than is ideal. This white paper explores some of the institutional and cultural barriers which impede cross-discipline collaborations and suggests solutions that would foster greater collaboration. Some solutions require structural or policy changes within NASA itself, while others are directed towards other institutions, including academic publishers, that can also facilitate greater interdisciplinarity.