Studies of Computer Supported Collaborative Writing Implications for System Design

This paper analyses transformations in collaborative activities that a computersupported collaborative writing system introduces into co-authors' practices, and, discusses implications for the design of collaborative tools for writing. The analysis is grounded in user studies of four different groups of co-authors writing an academic report during two different collaborative situations. Two groups collaborate face-to-face using a word processor and the other two groups collaborate at a distance using a synchronous collaborative writing system.