The Challenges and Payoffs of In-Person Big-Team Science

Big-Team Science (BTS) offers a powerful framework for advancing psychological research through large-scale collaboration, yet the unique challenges of conducting in-person BTS studies remain under-examined. This manuscript draws on the Psychological Science Accelerator’s in-person stereotype threat study, which involved 2,500+ Black undergraduate students at over 20 U.S. universities, to illustrate these challenges in action. The project focused on testing social psychological theories of stereotype threat in real-world educational settings, a context highly relevant to social and personality psychology. We identify and analyze three central challenges in in-person BTS: (1) balancing standardization with contextual sensitivity, (2) addressing disparities in research infrastructure, and (3) supporting coordination and sustainability at scale. While previous BTS initiatives have largely focused on online studies, this paper centers the logistical, ethical, and scientific issues specific to in-person data collection. We offer concrete strategies developed during the study including metadata documentation, flexible protocol design, adaptive sampling, and shared infrastructure, and then provide a roadmap for more inclusive and efficient future collaborations.