Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Code versions.
Theorems.
Sources of data.
Experiments and outcomes
Sketches of proofs.
Expect this log of activity to be a mixture of written material and data. In its raw
state, the content of a file of notes is not suitable for inclusion in a paper, but the
themes and issues of the paper can be drawn from the file, and it serves as a memory
of issues to discuss and material to include.
Co-authoring
In computer science, most papers are co-authored. The inclusion of several people
as authors means that, in principle, all these people contributed in some significant
way to the intellectual content of the paper. In many cases, it also means that the task
of writing was shared. There are a range of strategies for co-authoring, which vary
from colleague to colleague and paper to paper. It is not unusual, for example, for an
advisor to use a student's thesis as the basis of a paper, in which case both advisor
and student are listed as authors. In this process, the advisor may well dramatically
revise the student's work, if only because a typical paper is much shorter than a
typical thesis.
In cases where researchers are working more or less as equals, one strategy is
to brainstorm the contents of the paper, then for each author to write a designated
section. Another strategy—my preferred model for collaboration—is to take turns.
One person writes a draft, the next revises and extends, and so on, with each person
holding an exclusive lock on the paper while amending it. With this approach, the
final paper is likely to be a fairly seamless integration of the styles and contributions
of each of the authors (especially if each author contributes to revision of the other
authors' work). In contrast, the strategy of writing sections separately tends to lead
to papers in which the authorial voice makes dramatic shifts, the tables and figures
are inconsistent, and there is a great deal of repetition and omission.
Taking turns is effective, but it does have pitfalls, and agreed ground rules are
needed to make it work. For example, I rarely delete anything a co-author has written,
but may comment it out; thus no-one feels that their work has been thrown away.
Another element of successful co-authoring is respect; accept your colleagues' views
unless you have a good reason not to.
Co-authoring is a form of research training. It is an opportunity for advisors to
learn in detail where their students are weak, while a paper that has been revised by
an advisor is an opportunity for students to contrast their attempts at research writing
with that of people with more experience. An advisor's revision of a student's draft
of paper can involve a great deal of work, and may be the most thorough feedback
on writing that the student receives during the course of a research program.
