In this special panel edition of The Exchanges Discourse podcast, I welcome five past journal contributors - Abiodun Egbetokun, Ed McKeon, Denis Newman-Griffis, Claire Sedgwick, and Aikaterini Tavoulari - for a lively and reflective conversation on their recent Exchanges article, The Labour of Thought: Reflections on Interdisciplinarity in Practice.

Together, we unpack the collaborative journey behind their interdisciplinary work: from the initial spark of inspiration to the challenges of navigating diverse academic traditions and the necessary labour to achieve your goals. Each guest shares personal insights into the interdisciplinary research, writing and publishing process, especially from an early career perspective, and highlights how their unique disciplinary voices shaped the final piece. We also delve into the broader themes of academic authorship – making yourself heard, negotiating interdisciplinary tensions, and building a research narrative that feels both authentic and impactful. The episode closes as always with valuable, first-hand advice for emerging researchers preparing their earliest publications, much of which resonates with the wider episode discussions.

Whether you’re exploring interdisciplinary collaboration for the first time or looking to refine your academic voice, this episode offers a wealth of inspiration, experience, and encouragement.

To read the article which inspired our conversation visit: https://doi.org/10.31273/eirj.v12i2.1839

Or to find out more about publishing with the Exchanges research journal visit: http://exchanges.warwick.ac.uk/

Episode Index

00:00 – Opening

00:32 – Introductions

06:42 – Opening & exploring the paper

19:16 – Inspirations, provocations & next steps

29:06 – Lived publishing & editorial experiences

46:00 – Advice to academic authors

60:12 – Outro