The dataset comprises articles used in the qualitative analysis within the doctoral thesis entitled The Structure and Dynamics of Scientific Collaborations in Europe (Pințoiu-Mihăilă Bianca-Elena, 2023). These articles capture networks of authors and co-authors who have published on COVID-19 between 2020 and 2021. They also encompass information regarding the relationship between the number of prevention measures recommended by researchers and those implemented by the Romanian, Italian, or Swedish governments. The articles were found on the Web of Science using a search algorithm incorporating keywords such as COVID-19 and [country], publication year (for 2020 and 2021), document type (articles), Web of Science Category (Multidisciplinary Science, Sociology, and all other categories containing the term "policy"), sorted by country.