Introduction
Collaboration is all the rage these days.
But how do you collaborate? How do you get started?
Let’s take a look at how to write a letter for collaboration, so that you can put your best foot forward and get the ball rolling on your next project.
Learning How to Write a Letter for Collaboration Doesn’t Have To Be Tricky
Writing a letter for collaboration should be formal enough that it gets your point across, but not so formal that it’s unapproachable. Plus, you need to make sure that it conveys the right tone for your audience and makes them excited about what you’re proposing.
The biggest mistake people make when writing a letter of introduction is forgetting who their audience is and how much they know about the topic at hand. If you’re an expert in your field, and you’re writing for other experts, it’s easy to think that everyone else should just automatically understand what you’re talking about. But in reality, most people don’t have time to read an entire book just to get up to speed on one specific subject.
That’s why we’ve compiled this guide: to help you write an awesome letter of introduction for your research collaborator that will get their attention while still being clear enough for them to understand what exactly it is that you’re suggesting.
Start With A Basic Overview Of The Collaboration
The purpose of a letter of introduction is to provide some information about you and your research that can be used for networking and collaboration.
Talking points of this section:
- give enough context but not too much, so it’s hard to understand what the deal is
- create an answer to the question, why do you want to collaborate with them?
Explain How The The Collaboration Will Be Beneficial To Both Parties
Remember that the purpose of a letter for collaboration is to persuade your recipient to meet with you. How can you do this? By focusing on how the collaboration will be beneficial to both parties. The person reading your letter needs to see a mutual benefit in meeting with you, whether it’s opportunities for funding, a chance to spread their name around, or just some fun intellectual exchange.
Label your first paragraph “Why I am seeking a collaborator” and include in it specific examples of how such a collaboration would benefit each party. Explain how the different skills and resources of each party will add up to something greater than either could achieve on their own. Your resume will be attached, and if that doesn’t explain why this opportunity is so good for them, then you have some more work to do.
Label your second paragraph “Skills/Resources” and list the different skill sets, experience levels, and niche areas of interest each party brings to the table. If you have advanced degrees from Ivy League institutions, but no publications in academic journals, then you’re not likely to be a good fit for a job that requires publications in academic journals.
Include A List Of Your Accomplishments That Are Relevant To The Collaboration
Dear Dr. Sanchez,
I was recently awarded the Goldwater Scholarship, an honor that comes with a $7,500 stipend and which is given to outstanding students who are pursuing research careers in mathematics, natural sciences, or engineering. I am looking into how to use this award to help fund travel and collaboration on my dissertation research in computer science.
Immediately after graduation, I’ll be moving to Massachusetts for a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT’s Center for Collective Intelligence. There I will work on applications of collective intelligence and big data analytics to artificial intelligence, exploring the idea that multi-robot systems can learn from each other by communicating more like neurons than individual robots do.
What striking me most about this fellowship is that it provides me with valuable opportunities for applying my research skills as well as writing and public speaking skills; however, I don’t think I would have been accepted if it weren’t for my extracurricular work on diversity in computer science (especially in artificial intelligence) advocacy during my undergraduate years. My research was focused on the following:
- The effects of social media use on perceptions of minorities (specifically women and ethnic minorities) working in tech
- The relationship between online harassment against women online and discrimination against them offline (specifically hiring practices)
- The relationship between diversity metrics used by major tech firms and their commitment towards improving these metrics
Keep It Brief
Introducing yourself to the person you will be spending lots of time together over the next year, if done well, can give this relationship the best possible start. Here are 3 elements to consider including in a letter of introduction:
- Should not be any longer than one page. Briefness is important to pique interest and to avoid making walls of text on e-mail that your reader will inevitably skim over.
- Absolutely must include your name and contact information at the top, as well as at least one sentence introducing yourself and why there is a good fit between you and your potential collaborator. It’s not a job cover letter, so don’t worry about using the word “I” too much or referencing personal interests or hobbies in an attempt to connect with your reader. You want them to remember you. The goal is not to write anything witty or clever, but rather something welcoming and succinct that makes it clear why they should say yes when they open their e-mail and see your name at the top of it.
- One table or chart illustrating some interesting data you’ve gathered in previous research should be included (optional). Has this person done similar work? If so, include a comparison chart showing how you have taken things further than what has already been explored by this person’s previous collaborators (if applicable).4. A brief statement about why you personally would make for an excellent research partner for this particular individual/team/research project should also be included (again — should never sound like a job cover letter!).
Conclusion
Writing a letter for collaboration is an important part of the research process. It can help you get a foot in the door and build your credibility with potential collaborators, but it can also help you make connections that will benefit your research and career.
The first step to writing an awesome letter of introduction is to think about why you’re writing it. What do you want the recipient to know? What do they need to know? The second step is to think about how best to convey that information. Do they need to know more about your research? Or are they more interested in knowing more about yourself?
Once you’ve figured out what needs to be communicated, it’s time to start writing! You’ll want to introduce yourself, tell them why you’d like to collaborate with them specifically, explain why their work is relevant and essential for what you’re working on right now. Finally, ask for their thoughts on collaborating with you in some capacity (if applicable).
Now you know how to write a letter for collaboration. Good Luck!