Thoughts on Co-Publishing

[IRdreams]

I know this varies by field, but I was wondering what people's opinion of co-publishing with a faculty member were. I was recently invited to do so by someone whose work I admire and respect.

As far as pros: I think it could be a good pedagogical experience to write with someone who has successfully navigated the publishing process. Potentially an addition to the resume.

Cons: As the grad student, I will recieve less credit than if I worked on my own single author pub. Team work can always be tricky.

I know this issue has been touched on elsewhere, but I was hoping to come up with a definitive pro/con list.

[runonsentence]

Scratch potentially an addition to the resume: it's definitely an addition to your resume/CV. It's even better when it's someone whose work you admire and respect.

Assuming the manuscript is accepted for publication, it also means more exposure for you, as you'll have your name attached to that faculty member's in print.

And unless the work is going to take the place of (or hinder) work toward your own single-author pub, I don't think the first con on your list is even a real issue.

[Zencarrot]

Scratch potentially an addition to the resume: it's definitely an addition to your resume/CV. It's even better when it's someone whose work you admire and respect.

Assuming the manuscript is accepted for publication, it also means more exposure for you, as you'll have your name attached to that faculty member's in print.

And unless the work is going to take the place of (or hinder) work toward your own single-author pub, I don't think the first con on your list is even a real issue.

Seconded.

The benefits of receiving mentoring from someone whose work you admire far outweigh any difference in the recognition you'd receive from having a first vs. second author publication.

I think that in grad school, it is key to focus on the long term. This means placing an emphasis on building your research skills so you can start to pump out great publications when you're gunning for tenure later down the road. While you can certainly build your skills heading up a project as sole author, in my experience receiving mentoring from a professor has been a much less frustrating and effective learning experience.

If you can find a professor who is willing to work with you on a project as coauthor that is even better. That way you get the mentoring and the glory!

[IRdreams]

Scratch potentially an addition to the resume: it's definitely an addition to your resume/CV. It's even better when it's someone whose work you admire and respect.

Assuming the manuscript is accepted for publication, it also means more exposure for you, as you'll have your name attached to that faculty member's in print.

And unless the work is going to take the place of (or hinder) work toward your own single-author pub, I don't think the first con on your list is even a real issue.

So the reason I say that it is potentially an addition is because one never knows how the vagaries of journal editors. The odds of publication obviously go way up, but still no guarantees.

[fuzzylogician]

So the reason I say that it is potentially an addition is because one never knows how the vagaries of journal editors. The odds of publication obviously go way up, but still no guarantees.

That's true of the single-authored project too, though, and it shouldn't discourage you from participating in a project if you think it's worthwhile. If you have some a-priori reason for believing you won't be able to get published, that's another matter. But otherwise I join everybody else in voting for joining the project, for all the reasons given above. I completely fail to see the down side of publishing with an admired mentor.

[cliopatra]

Were any of you who have already co-published approached by the professor? A few months ago my supervisor mentioned in passing that "maybe we can collaborate on a paper" and I didn't really take the discussion further because we were meeting with another prof and it would have been off-topic.

I'm now finished my thesis and would really, REALLY like to move forward with his suggestion but I'm not sure how to approach him about it!

All I can think of asking goes something along the lines of: "Umm remember when you said something about co-publishing? Well are you still interested in that?"

I just want to convey to him that I am very interested and want to move forward.

[lewin]

For me this thread really illustrates some differences between humanities and the sciences. I would never dream of turning down a collaboration--99% of empirical papers have more than one author, with a somewhat lower proportion in non-empirical work (chapters, reviews, theory, etc.). Nobody would dream of expecting a graduate student to publish something as sole author.

(Of course, authorship signifies more than just writing, it may also signify involvement with experimental design, data analysis, etc.)

[Behavioral]

Before you even start considering about publishing, do you even have the funds to perform your research and gather your data? Grants are the main reason why I wouldn't even dare turn down a professor who wanted to work with me.