Collaboration has been widely investigated as a prevalent research activity. However, no consensus has been reached about the relationship between scientific collaboration and citation count. Therefore, this study aimed to comprehensively examine the strength and consistency of this relationship, using meta-analytic methods and measuring scientific collaboration by co-authorship. After the literature search and initial selection, 361 relevant papers were found. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 92 papers involving 340 effect sizes were included. A random-effect meta-analysis showed a significant positive and weak correlation between scientific collaboration and citation count (r = 0.146). Tests of publication bias and heterogeneity revealed that the result was reliable. In addition, disciplines, countries, document types and citation sources were found to influence the correlation as moderators significantly. Practical recommendations for research administrators and researchers were provided, including encouraging collaboration and maintaining a cost-benefit balance in collaboration.

合作已被广泛研究为一项普遍的研究活动。但是，关于科学合作与引用计数之间的关系尚未达成共识。因此，本研究旨在使用荟萃分析方法并通过合著者衡量科学合作来全面检查这种关系的强度和一致性。经过文献检索和初步筛选，共发现361篇相关论文。根据纳入和排除标准，纳入涉及340种效应量的92篇论文。随机效应荟萃分析显示，科学合作与引文计数之间存在显着的正相关和弱相关性（r = 0.146）。出版偏倚和异质性的测试表明结果是可靠的。此外，发现学科，国家，文件类型和引文来源显着影响作为主持人的相关性。提供了针对研究管理员和研究人员的实用建议，包括鼓励合作和保持合作中的成本效益平衡。