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How to go about co-authoring papers?

In our September "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

How do people go about coauthoring papers? It seems everyone is working on different topics, yet it looks like more and more people are working together on papers. It is unclear to me how to initiate projects with other people. I also feel too socially awkward/inept to ask to work with other people and also have some self-doubt that I may not be good enough to work on projects that are slightly outside of my research focus. Any tips?

Good questions! I've co-authored a few papers, and if I recall correctly, for the most part I just approached people with an idea who I thought might be able to bring their expertise to bear on parts of the project that were a bit beyond mine. As my father once told me, if you ask for assistance, generally speaking the worst that can happen is that people say no. It may be helpful, however, if you have some previous interactions with the people you approach, such as at conferences, on social media, etc.

Anyway, these are all the tips that I have. Do any other readers have any helpful tips?

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6 responses to “How to go about co-authoring papers?”

  1. Brad

    I would only bother co-authoring if you have a reason to do it. I began publishing on authorship and collaboration in science. This led me to want to try it myself, with a philosophical colleague. Since then I had more practical reasons to do it – I needed a mathematical biologist to help me model a changing population. Then an expert in scientometrics wanted to investigate something in the philosophy of science research literature, and he wanted my help, as a content expert. Later I collaborated with a post doc, who was hired to work with me on a project on the epistemology of scientific publication. Co-authoring is not easy. It requires patience, and it can be very time consuming at first. So if you are under pressure to publish I would not embark on it.

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  2. Mixed bag

    It sounds like OP feels like one “needs to” get on the coauthorship bandwagon because others are doing it. Rest assured there’s no need to coauthor within philosophy. You can go on doing single-authored papers your whole career if you want to!
    As for coauthorship, I think it’s best not to coauthor for its own sake – instead coauthor when that adds value to a paper. Sometimes though you might have an idea where, say, you’re an ethicist but your argument has a robust epistemology angle — so why not recruit an epistemologist to work with you on the paper in that case. Or there’s some other reason why you think bringing someone else on board would add value. In that case, just go ahead and ask the person you have in mind.
    I have had positive and negative experiences of coauthorship. I can’t stress this enough: know your coauthor before agreeing to coauthor! Know about their work ethic, know if they’re nice to communicate with, and know how they are as a writer: do you have a shared view on what a good philosophy paper looks like? Communication is key. If your work ethics are too different, there’s a risk that one feels exploited while the other feels rushed – though this can be mitigated with good communication. If your views on what constitutes a good paper diverge, there is a risk that one thinks the paper is publishable while the other sees major problems, which can be trickier to navigate. These issues can be tackled, but they’re easier to prevent.
    At best, coauthorship feels like the paper is magically making progress even when your eyes are not on it. Or the argument ends up better than it would have been if you’d developed it solo. So I definitely think it’s more than worth it!

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  3. academic migrant

    It’s important to me that I need to accept the possibility that the outcome (the paper or whatever) doesn’t have to be something I as an individual wholeheartedly endorse. I feel like when co-authoring, I become part of a group that is over and above its individual components. It’s a bit like fusion in Dragon Ball Z. What we as a group arrive at through negotiation and whatever decision procedure is what we as a group believe.

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  4. Tim

    I’ve co-authored half a dozen papers; I think co-authoring is great. Sure, you have to navigate some potential differences with other people. But you are rewarded not just with someone else doing the work when you aren’t, but also with some new idea and insights you might have missed otherwise.
    Re procedure, in my experience, the following has worked pretty well: pitch an overall thesis, outline, and work distribution. If the other person doesn’t like any of it, then don’t move forward. If they do like it, move forward. All of those things can change in the process of coauthoring. But I have found its a good place to start the process.

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  5. anon postdoc

    Some of my co-authoring has come about by asking someone to read a draft I’ve written. I typically ask a person who’s work I either cite in the draft, or who’s an expert in the area that I’m addressing in the draft. If they find the draft interesting, or if they have substantive comments that I feel add some important points, I invite them to co-author with me by adding some verbiage throughout the draft as they see fit. Not everyone takes me up on this, but some have. We then go through to back-and-forth, but usually end up with a paper that’s better than what I would have written on my own. I find the experience rewarding and I wish more people would invite me to do the same with their drafts.

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  6. Assistant Professor

    My experience with co-authoring is most aligned with those shared by Marcus and Tim. Brad and Mixed Bag introduce some skepticism about the “need” to co-author, but this may depend a bit on your intended field. If you work in an area that might lead to a job outside a traditional philosophy or humanities department professor position, then there might be good reasons to co-author a little to demonstrate your ability to collaborate successfully. (And to also publish solo to show you can do that too.)
    There can be other kinds of good reasons to co-author, many of which have already been covered, including added expertise that you don’t have, and efficiency in terms of someone else working on parts of a paper while you are not. It can also slow things down if you are waiting on someone else, but my experience has led to more output since there are more contributors making progress on the paper at the same time.
    In terms of initiating a collaboration: I tend to discuss an idea with someone and it turns out we have something shared to say about it, so we decide to write a paper. I typically like to establish at the outset HOW we will go about this. Often it involves arriving collaboratively at a thesis through one or multiple conversations. Then we develop a rough outline. If it is the kind of paper with discreet sections we might divide the outline up. Other times one person does a pretty complete first draft and the other person adds on and edits. Also discuss authorship order early! If someone really wants to be first author, then make sure that is known in advance and they do first-author level of work. One thing I really love about co-authoring is that you have other eyes on your ideas and writing throughout the process, which tends to make the work better (though not always).
    Things to be wary of: co-authoring in situations of major power or prestige disparities. It can be done, but it can also be harder to give honest feedback to someone with more perceived or real power/prestige, and it may complicate how credit is ultimately allocated to authors even if it doesn’t reflect the amount they in fact contributed to the ultimate publication. Also, don’t only co-author, as people will question whether you can publish on your own, even if you are putting out amazing collaborative work.

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