In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

  • "Collaborative Research, Doc?"
  • Donald Crafton (bio)

The classic Warner Bros. cartoon The Big Snooze (1946) shows Elmer Fudd getting fed up with the interminable chase after Bugs Bunny and tearing up his "contwact with Mr. Warner." The implications of Elmer's breaking up the act slowly sink in for Bugs. "But, Doc, we're like Abbott and Costello. Damon and Runyon!"

Even toons see the value of collaboration. But not very many scholars of film and media studies do.

I began thinking of this during a series of e-mail exchanges with Prof. X, who is working on a book that overlaps with my current project. I don't recall who contacted whom first, but X learned of my interest and generously sent me a draft of a chapter in progress. I was able to make some small suggestions for further sources and to reflect on some of the arguments. In turn, X's scholarship opened up new resources and interpretations for me. Furthermore, during the exchange, we discovered that we have another unexpected overlap in research. I shared my research notes; he followed up at his local archive; we both learned something we did not know. Serendipity ensued. [End Page 138]

In fact, this happens all the time to me. Animation aficionados, in particular, do not hesitate to reach out to others in the field. Filmmakers, scholars, archivists, theorists, and fans mingle in a relatively unlimned state compared to those in other subfields. But such dialogue happens more and more because whipping off an e-mail is so easy (maybe too easy), and because many of us subscribe to online forums, affinity groups, blogs, zines, and so on. If a colleague needs a tidbit of information that we can easily provide, the good academic sport usually provides it. If there is a viewpoint we strongly share or reject, that can trigger a response too. Sharing and communicating has never been so effortless. What impact will this have on the way we teach, do research, and publish?

In the sciences and social sciences, shared research has been codified into academic principles for generations. We are familiar with the strings of names at the beginning of articles, as well as with the importance of (and the squabbles over) the hierarchy of these author listings. Compare that situation to Cinema Journal. I skimmed the index for the past five years and found that not a single article was coauthored.1 Of course, numerous coauthored books in film studies have been published in the last decade, and we can think of several famous coauthoring teams. Further, CJ is not the only journal in our field. I am not including anthologies, which frequently are coedited. But the standard mode of publication for scholarly articles in film and media is the single-authored text.

I do not think this is a good situation. I must add that I have never published a coauthored book or article myself, so the hypocrisy potential runs high. Still, there are compelling arguments, which I shall sketch, for more collaborative research in our field. There are also formidable obstacles.

As a preamble, let us look at the science journal model. I am not necessarily promoting a "scientific method," which probably would be translated into pseudo-science anyway, when I observe that we could benefit from many of the inherent qualities of the science publishing mode. Typically, a senior researcher has pursued a line of inquiry over an extended period. Junior associates may spend some time on the project and move on to another, getting credit for their contribution. The senior PI (I always think of Magnum when I see this designation for principal investigator) provides continuity, direction, and leadership and may or may not share the grunt work put in by the other authors. The funding is usually in the PI's name. The other author(s) often are from other institutions and should represent diversity in training and scholarship, rather than be the PI's methodological apostles. They spread the knowledge gleaned from the project to other schools and scholars via publication, conferences, and teaching. Not only do they generate research findings but they also look critically at their...

pdf

Share