Jenna Morton-Aiken (University of Rhode Island)

This roundtable aims to unpack some of the challenges of collaborative authorship, hoping to specifically provide models and guidance for graduate students attempting to navigate the process for the first time. Though STEM and other fields have established patterns for determining everything from the distribution of responsibilities to the order of author names, Humanities scholars are often left to feel as though they are reinventing the wheel as they engage in this complex endeavor, particularly if mentors or advisors do not support or advise on shared publications. This roundtable will be an opportunity to explore what has worked well and what has resulted in hardship for students, faculty, and others who have been through this process. The goal will be to share both tips for success as well as stories of difficulties so that members might feel more comfortable engaging in multi-authored work. This panel hopes to prepare members to pursue new and varied publishing opportunities in what is increasingly becoming a competitive, yet collaborative and interdisciplinary, academic environment. Proposals from faculty members, graduate students, and recent graduates are all welcome. Members are invited to present experiences from published or non-published collaborative writing activities both inside and outside the classroom.

This roundtable discussion will provide advice on how to prepare for high stakes collaborative writing, particularly with publication in mind. The session aims to offer assistance so that members might feel better prepared to navigate what can be a time-consuming and stressful task. This session hopes that honest discussion regarding the challenges of multi-authored publications will empower members to develop new competencies in order to expand their publishing opportunities and disciplinary reach.