As currently used, collaboration refers to a variety of interactive writing expe
riences, making it difficult or impossible to assess research projects accurately
or to use their findings effectively. This paper presents a definition of one vari
ety of interactive writing based on intensive interviews with twenty
collaborative writers. Shared-document collaboration involves collaborators
producing a shared document, engaging in substantive interaction about that
document, and sharing decision-making power and responsibility for it. The
paper also describes a typology of shared-document collaborative groups:
labor intensive, specialization, and synthesis. Throughout, conclusions are
supported with examples drawn from the experiences of the writers inter
viewed.
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