Collaborative Authorship as Peer Mentorship

Abstract

For emerging professionals and anyone unfamiliar with academic publishing, the transition from consuming to producing scholarly articles can be a daunting one. Identifying a suitable journal to publish in seems pretty manageable, but convincing yourself that you have something worthwhile to say (and we promise you do) can be more difficult. Ideally, mentorship from colleagues and peers will help you navigate this new territory. For those who do not have access to such assistance or are simply looking for additional support getting started, coauthorship can serve as a form of peer mentorship, providing the ideal environment for the uninitiated to enter the scholarly conversation. It is worth noting that the beneficiary of such support may not be someone new to the field (though it often is), as even seasoned information professionals may benefit from the experience of collaborative authorship.