Tips on managing co-authoring

Engineers and scientists work and write in teams. The most prestigious research centres give within-department peer review before a paper is submitted. However, writers at many universities complain that co-authors give little feedback, but then journals' peer reviewers give brutal criticism. We find that presenting a specific task to pre-submission readers or co-authors improves a writer's chance of getting useful, focused feedback. Presenting a task seems to reduce the level of stress readers feel when they're asked to give opinions to writers they know.

Reflect on the effectiveness of your draft

Reflect on the effectiveness of your draft with this list of short questions [PDF] and invite your co-authors to do the same. From the computer science and engineering department of the University of California at San Diego.

Guide to the critical reading of engineering research

Guide to the critical reading of engineering research. A writer needs to be an astute, critical reader. Subject your own article to critical scrutiny with co-authors. Guidelines from William G. Griswold, University of California at San Diego.