Creating a Collaborative Research Report in Theology: The Process
The writing of collaborative research reports on specific theological issues ordinarily includes the following steps:
Defining the question
Our core team, with the help of external scholars whenever needed, develops an INITIAL DRAFT which, to the extent made possible by the available expertise, outlines the research questions; the relevant evidence (including an evaluation of its robustness); the main arguments (including an initial evaluation of the extent to which they are based on the evidence); and possible conclusions, to be used as a basis for developing the report. The initial draft takes the form of a shared online document, also known as a ‘WIKI’.
Constructing the Report
The Wijngaards Institute seeks out and invites academics, on the basis of their recognized expertise on the topic at hand, to volunteer their time and specialised knowledge as members of a working group.
We then invite volunteers from among the Working Group to constitute a smaller Core Team of approximately 10 academics. This will include a lead researcher from the Institute to coordinate it.
The task of all invited experts is to critically review and evaluate the contents of the WIKI, including the initial research questions, relevant evidence, arguments, and conclusions. They can do so by adding comments, suggestions, and edits, with the goal of:
a. providing what they believe is the relevant evidence, arguments, and conclusions;
b. providing references to the peer-reviewed publications supporting the above, if possible with a concise explanation of its relevance to the WIKI.
Proposed amendments are then evaluated by the Core Team, which will offer reasoned (but necessarily short) responses to every suggestion. The experts of the Working Group are also welcome to participate in that process to the extent that they have the time and inclination to do so, i.e. by interacting with other scholars’ contributions and comments.
The drafting process will stop when Core Team members deem that on each issue a sufficiently robust position has been agreed. On that basis, the Core Team will develop the text of the final report.
Should the academic consensus on any issue be split fairly evenly between two or more different positions, the report should, where appropriate, highlight the lack of unanimity and, if need be, make it clear which opinion, if any, is the most probable in light of the evidence.
Testing the Statement
The findings of the Report are then summarised in an academic statement. This is submitted to an international network of scholars for their assessment.
The declaration is drawn up by the research coordinator and the Core Team. Members of the Working Group become the first level of signatories.
It is then translated into many languages. Our Statement on the Ethics of Free and Faithful Same-Sex Relationships, for instance, has been translated into eight languages. Apart from the original English they are: German, Spanish, Tagalog, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Slovenian.
To test the Statement – like testing a vaccine – it is submitted to university professors and academic specialists all over the world. They assess the validity of the Declaration and express approval by co-signing it.
Diagram showing the process of creating a collaborative research report in theology:
