I have to write a research paper with a partner and we're both control freaks. Help.

[DerekLae]

This is a nightmare. My final paper for a capstone seminar is a group project—two people, 25 pages. My partner and I are both strong students with strong opinions. We've been stuck on the introduction for two weeks because we can't agree on the framing of the argument. I want to focus on economic factors; he wants to focus on social movements.

We're both dug in, and we've wasted so much time just arguing over Google Docs comments. At this rate, we're never going to finish. How do you collaborate on a research paper when you have different academic perspectives? How do you compromise without feeling like you're sacrificing the quality of the work? I need conflict resolution advice for academics.

 

[OliviaJames]

I TA for capstone seminars. This happens every single semester. Here's my standard advice:

The "Two Introductions" Trick:

Write two different introductions:

• Version A (your econ focus)
• Version B (their social movements focus)

Then read them together. You'll probably find:

• They're not as different as you thought
• One is actually stronger
• A third option emerges from the contrast

Also: Your professor doesn't want one narrow argument. They want a COMPLEX argument. A paper that says "economic factors and social movements interacted to produce X outcome" is BETTER than either single-focused version.

Stop fighting. Start synthesizing. That's what capstone-level work looks like.