On Collaboration, Cooperation, and Competition in the Academy.
I'm currently serving on my department's Tenure and Promotion Committee. An interesting conversation came from all the tenure and third-year review files that we reviewed last week: The desirable balance between single-authored and multi-authored publications.
What to do? Collaborate and have more publications? Have a few less sole authored papers/chapters/books?
I qualify this post: I'm in social science. I'm also at a research-intensive university. Folks in psychology, sociology, and the like may find these behind-the-curtain musings at a research institution helpful. If you're in engineering, law, natural/life science, or at a teaching college, you're likely to march to a different tune, though here's what the fly on the wall observed in our closed-door discussions.
What to do? Collaborate and have more publications? Have a few less sole authored papers/chapters/books?
I qualify this post: I'm in social science. I'm also at a research-intensive university. Folks in psychology, sociology, and the like may find these behind-the-curtain musings at a research institution helpful. If you're in engineering, law, natural/life science, or at a teaching college, you're likely to march to a different tune, though here's what the fly on the wall observed in our closed-door discussions.
Social Science Likes Collaboration.
It reflects positively on scholars at all levels to have peer-reviewed articles, edited volumes, or book chapters with others. It shows that you can work as a team member, collaborate with others, and take turns in the sandbox. Anyone without collaborative publications would be very suspect indeed.
Find Your Own Voice.
Our committee discussed the need for early career scholars to cut the proverbial cord from their doctoral supervisors. One third year review candidate had five publications (on target), though all of them were coauthored with the doctoral supervisor (ooh, not good). While the influence of expertise, theory, and methodology of a supervisor is helpful, it's essential for scholars to find their own voices in publications. As we learned from Mr. Trump this week, no one likes a puppet.
Have Some Sole-Authored Publications.
The majority of one's research dossier (again, in social science) is likely to be co- or multi-authored publications. For us, that means 2-5 authors. (I've seen 15 authors on engineering papers, and that's a different deal.) However, having sole-authored papers is essential to a sound third-year review and tenure dossier. If all you've done is collaborative work, you risk being "the data one" or "the one who writes lit reviews". Sole authored publications are important in social science to demonstrate your mastery of the holistic research process from idea to data analysis to writing up.
Find Your Squad.
The best thing about research collaboration, in my humble superhero opinion, is that it's fun. I am a gigantic nerd and I love research (if you're reading this, you probably are, too). While I am still buddies with my grad school squad, I've moved on to collaborate with many other cool folks. I have met enthusiastic, talented research collaborators on #AcademicTwitter. This week I submitted a SSHRC application with a scholar I met at a very un-academic party. I once answered a completely cold listserv Call for Papers from someone I didn't know and she's since become a beautifully close friend. We need collaborators. We also need trusted, academically-minded folks to read sole-authored manuscripts or offer advice. The squad is key. And it is always growing.
Tenure Is Not A Zero-Sum Game.
However, it's a fuzzy, nebulous endeavour. When I went for tenure, no one told me how many articles I needed. All I was told was, "It depends." It depends upon in which journals your articles are published, with whom, and the reputed rigour of the peer review process. I began to know my ceiling very well, for I spent many a night staring at it in lack of sleep.
What I have learned is that tenure and promotion is not a zero-sum game. Just because your next-office-door colleague got tenure doesn't mean that you can't. The key is to have a diversified dossier which includes both collaborative and sole-authored works. It's also key to have support, collaborators, and advisors. If you have cool people to talk nerdy with, if you can delegate work and rotate responsibilities in collaborative endeavours, and if someone's there to share your wine/coffee/kombucha/tea, then the academic sandbox is a very fine place indeed.
What I have learned is that tenure and promotion is not a zero-sum game. Just because your next-office-door colleague got tenure doesn't mean that you can't. The key is to have a diversified dossier which includes both collaborative and sole-authored works. It's also key to have support, collaborators, and advisors. If you have cool people to talk nerdy with, if you can delegate work and rotate responsibilities in collaborative endeavours, and if someone's there to share your wine/coffee/kombucha/tea, then the academic sandbox is a very fine place indeed.
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