2.9 Implement ideas for eliciting fast feedback from your co-authors
Clearly define the scope of your request
If you’re requesting feedback from your co-authors, clearly define what it is that you need from them.
For example, if you’re requesting a meeting, what length of meeting are you requesting? Try to set up meetings that are as short as possible for the task at hand – like 15 minutes if you don’t need half an hour; 30 or 45 minutes if you don’t need a full hour. Use an agenda in the meeting (even if it’s just scribbled in your note book), then stick with the timing you requested (or less).
When sending work to your co-authors for review, tell them specifically what type of feedback you want at that stage. Below is an example.
Please can you let me know if you think I’m on the right track with this rough outline of the paper’s XYZ section, or if there are any parts you think I should re-order, remove or add? Once I have the outline sorted, I will then polish it (e.g., make the sentences flow, add references, etc).
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By clearly defining the scope of your request, your co-authors know exactly what type of feedback you’re wanting from them at this specific time, and that can feel more do-able to them than the type of feedback they may imagine you want from them. Tasks that seem do-able get done faster than tasks that seem less do-able, so break your feedback requests into do-able tasks, and you could be finishing your paper sooner rather than later.