{"id":65685,"date":"2022-11-07T00:47:43","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T05:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=65685"},"modified":"2022-11-07T00:47:43","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T05:47:43","slug":"the-unexpected-joys-of-collaborative-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/the-unexpected-joys-of-collaborative-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"The unexpected joys of collaborative writing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

There are\u00a0solid lists<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0words of advice<\/a>\u00a0out there on what makes a collaboration successful or\u00a0how to be a co-author<\/a>. I\u2019m not seeking to recreate or evaluate that sort of guidance here. Rather, I\u2019d like to take a moment during this Academic Writing Month (AcWriMo) to acknowledge the joys of writing together. Partly because, when I reflect on my own experiences, it\u2019s not always the publications that stay with me, as much as I still cherish some of them, it\u2019s the enduring and very human connections that come from collaborating on writing and research.<\/p>\n

When I look back, the thrown-in-the-deep-end collaborative situations from early on in my career bore almost no resemblance to any of the sound suggestions that circulate about developing good co-authorship practice! Like many academics not long out of PhD studies, I\u2019d picked up work on someone else\u2019s project. The team chose me, so \u2018choosing your co-authors wisely\u2019 wasn\u2019t exactly an option. There was almost no discussion of deadlines, writing practices, or processes. But I learned a lot, and much of what I learned was not at all what I\u2019d expected.<\/p>\n

Yes, the various practical elements that are frequently mentioned in\u00a0discussions of co-authorship<\/a>\u00a0were part of my experience. The benefits of splitting the workload, greater motivation to meet deadlines, sharing ideas and skills, reaching new audiences, and critically reflecting on one\u2019s own approach were all evident. What really struck me was the way that these processes could change my\u00a0feelings<\/em>\u00a0about writing. I\u2019d never had someone else to tackle reviewer comments with. It turns out it\u2019s really nice to be able to rant about Reviewer 2 with someone who\u2019s just as invested in the paper as you are. Troubleshooting revisions together is not only more effective, it\u2019s generally far more pleasant than drawing up a table of responses on your own. It\u2019s quite wonderful to have at least one other person to share in the buzz of publication, or the commiserations of rejection.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, the joys can be anticipated. It\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0validating to collaborate and publish with someone whose work you have admired for years. It\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0more fun to write with people who have become friends as well as colleagues than to write alone. But did I know how good it would feel to have worked with someone for so long, and to know their writing so well, that I smile every time I edit a draft with \u2018nevertheless\u2019 repeatedly overused? No, reader, I did not.<\/p>\n

Styles of collaboration are varied and so are our levels of connection through that collaboration. There are differences by discipline and individual preference and also across projects and papers. I\u2019ve written manuscripts where I\u2019ve only exchanged a few emails with a co-author from start to finish. Others were done through regular online meetings and lights-up-like-a-Christmas-tree levels of track changes.<\/p>\n

One paper in particular was done while I sat with a group of close collaborators, writing \u2013 almost in its entirety \u2013 a manuscript from a co-author\u2019s kitchen table.\u00a0That paper stays with me most, especially because it was written over the worst of the pandemic in Melbourne, between lockdowns. I\u2019m convinced that I would never have written anything about that data set if left to my own devices during that highly disrupted time, but our sessions together were about more than productivity. They became a welcome source of solidarity and comfort. Debates about analysis, structure, and style were punctuated by cups of tea, slices of pizza, long silences of concentration, and lots of laughter. I can\u2019t recall a time when I\u2019ve so looked forward to writing or a time when I\u2019ve been so consciously grateful that this kind of activity can actually be part of the job.<\/p>\n

Not all experiences are so soul-nourishing, of course, and most researchers have at least one horror story about the challenges of co-authorship from some point in their careers. At its best,\u00a0 however, this kind of collaboration is a beautiful reminder that, despite the treadmill of rankings and the increasingly automated publishing systems that surround us, we can find meaning and connection with each other, providing inspiration, care, and empathy. We\u2019re not always afforded the time or space to say \u2018thank you\u2019 to colleagues and co-authors in the way we might like \u2013 but expressing that appreciation is going to be one of my goals this AcWriMo, and you might like to join me.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Dr Meagan Tyler is a Senior Lecturer in research education and development with the RED (Research Education and Development) team at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are\u00a0solid lists\u00a0and\u00a0words of advice\u00a0out there on what makes a collaboration successful or\u00a0how to be a co-author. I\u2019m not seeking to recreate or evaluate that sort of guidance here. Rather, I\u2019d like to take a moment during this Academic Writing Month (AcWriMo) to acknowledge the joys of writing together. Partly because, when I reflect on […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86115],"tags":[434147],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-65685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research","tag-collaborative-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe unexpected joys of collaborative writing - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/the-unexpected-joys-of-collaborative-writing\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The unexpected joys of collaborative writing - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are\u00a0solid lists\u00a0and\u00a0words of advice\u00a0out there on what makes a collaboration successful or\u00a0how to be a co-author. I\u2019m not seeking to recreate or evaluate that sort of guidance here. Rather, I\u2019d like to take a moment during this Academic Writing Month (AcWriMo) to acknowledge the joys of writing together. 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