Fostering Scholarly Collaboration: A Longitudinal Ethnographic Study of Departmental Co-Authoring Initiatives

Abstract

In response to increasing institutional pressure for enhanced research productivity and measurable performance outputs, this study presents a longitudinal ethnographic case study of a strategic initiative implemented to formalise and strengthen scholarly collaboration within an academic department. The initiative involved the intentional formation of research clusters comprising academics with shared research interests who progressed through three structured phases of collaborative writing. Drawing on a relational-cultural conceptualisation of scholarly collaboration, the study examines collaboration as an evolving organisational practice rather than solely as an output metric. A longitudinal ethnographic research design was adopted over a twelve-month period, during which empirical data were generated through participant observation, reflective journals and departmental documents that captured the evolving relational and organisational dynamics of collaborative writing. Although the initiative provided identical structural conditions across three research groups, outcomes diverged significantly, only one group achieved publication during the study period. Doctoral stage and workload intensity emerged as moderating factors influencing collaborative momentum and output realisation. This study also identified gains in research confidence, the redistribution of scholarly agency and mentorship formalisation even within groups that did not publish. The findings contribute theoretically by distinguishing between collaboration as a relational process and publication as a measurable artefact, and methodologically by demonstrating the value of longitudinal ethnography for analysing evolving organisational practices in higher education. The findings suggest that structured co-authoring initiatives can foster collaborative cultures, but their impact remains conditional upon career-stage capacity and relational dynamics within departments.