Supercollaboration is an unusual but effective way of conducting
research, where several people work together as peers to solve unsolved
problems of common interest in a positive atmosphere,
without worrying about authorship and setting aside ego.
Our personal experience is that the supercollaboration model is extremely
effective at solving many problems (having led to many publications)
while having fun (building long-lasting group camaraderie), as well as
introducing students to research.
To enable these outcomes, two core rules define the supercollaboration model:
Authorship on papers that result from supercollaboration
is self-determined by each participant and generally in alphabetical order.
The unsolved problems and resulting discussion are confidential
within the group, and can be shared with others only if the group agrees to it
(or when the results get published).
These rules provide a safe environment where participants feel that their
contributions will be valued and rewarded.
The following document is a practical guide for how to do your own research in
the supercollaboration style, though “open problem sessions”.
It aims to distill our experience into tips for a successful session.
Coauthor
is free software written specifically to support supercollaborative research.
It makes it easy for the whole group to collaboratively
take notes, recording ideas and progress as they happen.
The document above gives some tips about how to use Coauthor when
supercollaborating.