Collaboration in research and authorship: the LIS book project

Abstract

We present a collaboration model employed in a book project titled "Research Fronts in Library and Information Science (LIS) in the West." The book, published by Renmin University in Beijing in 2007 as a volume in a series, is jointly written by 19 authors including PhD students, LIS faculty and university librarians. The presentation describes the different stages of collaboration in the project, including book planning, outline construction, bibliography selection, draft preparation, revision, peer review and editing. A survey is administered to the participant authors, gathering data on their role in the collaboration, the frequency of their communication, the various forms of communication in different stages such as emailing list, blog, video conference, face-to-face interaction, email and phone calls, and their reflection on this collaborative project. Results of the survey and implications of this project for further collaborations in LIS research and authorship are discussed.