Learning from the oceans’ interconnectedness: matters of writing and publishing in interdisciplinary scholarship

Abstract

Abstract The recurring recognition of the inseparable interconnection between societies and marine environments has led to the desire to move beyond traditional silos of scientific understanding. Integrating discrete disciplines from marine social and natural sciences is increasingly attempted to tackle cross-boundary research challenges. Consequently, much literature focuses on why and how to design and implement interdisciplinary projects. There is surprisingly less attention to the delivery of such projects—how to write and publish their results. Drawing from our writing and publishing experiences within different interdisciplinary projects, we shed light on the challenges we are facing and how to overcome them. We reflect on why good interdisciplinary writing matters and demonstrate the omission of work on writing and publishing in interdisciplinary teams in marine science literature, before we offer guidance towards effective writing relationships. Better understanding diverse writing and publishing traditions is essential in harnessing the full potential of cutting-edge interdisciplinary marine scholarship. Writing from the front lines as a marine social and a marine natural scientist, this paper mixes academic styles: third person narration with first person testimony, to argue that writing challenges need to be openly discussed and to showcase how to work towards successful integration.