In our December "how can we help you?" thread, a reader writes:
I was wondering whether this blog might be a good outlet for graduate students/faculty to detail and describe their experiences with co-authoring and collaborating on papers and symposia. What worked well? What didn’t? Who approached who with the idea to co-author/collaborate? How well did you all know each other before the project? Did you work on similar areas or different areas (and then pursue a project at the intersection of your differing areas)? Any general advice on this process?
These are great questions, and I look forward to hearing how readers answer. I have co-authored four times, and by and large I have found it to be a very positive experience. Here are some quick answers to the OP's questions:
What worked well?: I found co-authoring to be an excellent way to write papers in areas a bit outside of my areas of expertise. In half of the papers that I've co-authored, I had a paper idea that I thought promising, but I didn't have the technical background in the relevant area. Seeking out co-authors with expertise filled in those gaps, as it were. In the other two cases, I did have expertise in the area but had been corresponding with co-authors with related ideas. So, we teamed up!
What didn't?: For the most part, stuff went very well. In one case, I didn't know how to use the drafting software (LaTex) that my co-authors used, so I found that a bit difficult. In one other case, the paper I was working on with a co-author didn't really pan out.
Who approached who, and how well did we know each other?: My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I think in three out of the four cases I approached my eventual co-authors. Also, in three out of the four cases, the collaborations were with people who were formerly acquaintances--people who I had either met a few times or interacted with online, but otherwise didn't know very well. In the fourth case, I did know the person very well beforehand.
Did you work on similar areas or different areas?: In two out of the four cases, I worked in similar areas as my co-author(s). In the other two cases, I worked in quite different areas from my co-author(s), but we teamed up because the project was at the intersection between our areas of focus.
Any general advice on this process?: Here are a few tips...
A. Be up front about and negotiate clear timelines and expectations: For example, if you are on the job market or coming up for tenure, and you need to get the paper out and publish relatively quickly, my sense is that it is probably a good idea to let your co-authors know this, and see if they can commit to a mutually acceptable timeline for working on things. First, I think a prearranged 'deadline' for getting the paper done can be good. Second, I think it's a good idea to try to hammer out who will do what. In half of my co-authored papers, I served as the primary drafter, and my co-author served as a 'second author', revising (and adding in content) after the fact. In the other two cases, we split things up, with each author serving as the primary drafter for different parts of the paper. For what it is worth, my sense is that both can work well, but (for obvious reasons) I think it can be more efficient to designate one person as a 'first author' responsible for most of the drafting.
B. Be understanding with co-authors: everyone has different commitments, especially during Covid (where they or family members can get sick, bogged down in teaching, etc.). Co-authoring may take longer than solo-authoring in this regard, but I think it can be worth it!
C. Be a responsible co-author: my spouse works in a STEM field where co-authoring is the norm, and sometimes one or more co-authors can be slow or non-responsive. Sometimes people just get bogged down, and for whatever reason aren't able to keep up with the prearranged schedule (if you had one). This is okay: it happens, and nobody is perfect! The key thing is just to be open and communicative, and to do your best to be a good co-author. Finally, on that note, sometimes a co-authored paper just doesn't quite come together, just as can happen with solo-authored papers. If you have doubts about the paper, just be honest with your co-author(s) about it.
D. There's no single right way to co-author: my spouse regularly meets with co-authors via Zoom. Me? I've done all four of my co-authored pieces entirely over email, via email communication and communication in paper drafts (i.e. side comments). I prefer the latter because I think I work best on paper. But some people like to talk things through in person. Again, I think the best way forward is simply to find common ground.
Anyway, I'm a big fan of co-authoring, but these are just my tips and experiences. What are yours?
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