Collaborative Writing

You have likely worked on at least one group project by now. Group projects require collaborative writing, the process by which a group of writers makes decisions, writes, discusses, and revises documents with a common goal. Many writers report facing challenges with collaborative writing and group work in general, especially when group members fail to contribute equally or documents end up as a hodgepodge of different writing styles pieced together. The challenges are rooted largely in misunderstanding what collaborative writing is, how it functions, and how to participate in it. You can address these challenges by learning more about how collaborative writing works and why it is so important to practice.

• Group Writing Projects (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill): A guide to working on group writing projects that includes some important planning questions and helpful examples.

• Collaborative and Group Writing (University of Wisconsin): This resource offers a how-to guide for navigating the writing process in groups and provides a concise list of relevant further reading.