The Paper Chase: A Team Science Training Exercise.

Abstract

Over the past few decades of psychological research, there has been an important increase in both the application of multidisciplinary or collaborative science and in training and research that emphasizes social justice and cultural humility. In the current paper, we report on the use of the "Paper Chase" as a team science training and research experience that also facilitates cultural humility in research and when working in teams. The Paper Chase is a synchronous writing exercise originally conceptualized by a cohort of health service psychology interns to reduce lag time between manuscript writing and submission (Schaumberg et al., 2015). The Paper Chase involves a group of trainees coming together for a predetermined amount of time (e.g., 9 or more hours) with the aim of writing and submitting a full manuscript for publication. In the current paper, we extend a previous report on the Paper Chase by formally linking the training experience to the four phases of team science: development, conceptualization, implementation, and translation. We also discuss ways in which the Paper Chase as a training experience can promote cultural humility. Finally, we provide updated recommendations for successfully completing a Paper Chase project. Overall, the authors of this manuscript who were predoctoral psychology interns across two recent cohorts at one academic medical center reported positive experiences from the Paper Chase. In addition, the current study suggests the Paper Chase can be used as one activity that facilitates critical training in team science.