Authorship in Research

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The question ‘Is a thesis considered a publication?’ admits of no simple answer. However, to begin with, I assume here that typically, in the context of higher education in the United States, a ‘thesis’ – as opposed to a ‘dissertation’ –implies an argument based on existing research and is usually a requirement for a master’s degree whereas a dissertation requires its author to undertake original research and discuss its implications and is usually a requirement for a doctorate (PhD). Note that in the UK, it is often the other way around.     Next, take ‘considered’: considered by whom? The author of the thesis and the educational institution to which the thesis is submitted will certainly consider the thesis a publication, but if we assume ‘publication’ to be synonymous with ‘making public’, the matter becomes less clear-cut. (According to the Oxford dictionaries, a publication is ‘a book or journal issued for public sale’.) If the thesis is available to anyone, whether gratis or on payment, it can be considered a publication; if access to a thesis is restricted irrespective of payment, it would be inappropriate to designate it as a publication.    To sum up, the question can be answered only...

Thank you for your query!  Your concerns are understandable. Many early career researchers may experience their mentor placing themselves as the first author, which can be disheartening if you have worked hard on the research. However, it’s important to first consider a few things, then act appropriately according to your circumstances.  Account for your contribution  Is your work the most crucial part of the paper? If your research is not the main contribution to the paper and your mentor has contributed more, they may be right to designate themselves as the first author.  In this case, discuss your opportunities for taking on a leading role in future publications. Collaborate with your mentor and other researchers on projects where you can make significant contributions and be listed as the first author.  Think about career impact  How will the authorship order affect your career goals? While first authorship is valued, having publications with your mentor can be beneficial if they are well known in your field. Having your name as the second after an esteemed researcher can look great on your CV!  Communicate with your mentor  If you feel you deserve a first or co-first authorship role, express your concerns and discuss...

Thank you for your query!  Your concerns are understandable. Many early career researchers may experience their mentor placing themselves as the first author, which can be disheartening if you have worked hard on the research. However, it’s important to first consider a few things, then act appropriately according to your circumstances.  Account for your contribution  Is your work the most crucial part of the paper? If your research is not the main contribution to the paper and your mentor has contributed more, they may be right to designate themselves as the first author.  In this case, discuss your opportunities for taking on a leading role in future publications. Collaborate with your mentor and other researchers on projects where you can make significant contributions and be listed as the first author.  Think about career impact  How will the authorship order affect your career goals? While first authorship is valued, having publications with your mentor can be beneficial if they are well known in your field. Having your name as the second after an esteemed researcher can look great on your CV!  Communicate with your mentor  If you feel you deserve a first or co-first authorship role, express your concerns and discuss...

Thank you for your query!  Your concerns are understandable. Many early career researchers may experience their mentor placing themselves as the first author, which can be disheartening if you have worked hard on the research. However, it’s important to first consider a few things, then act appropriately according to your circumstances.  Account for your contribution  Is your work the most crucial part of the paper? If your research is not the main contribution to the paper and your mentor has contributed more, they may be right to designate themselves as the first author.  In this case, discuss your opportunities for taking on a leading role in future publications. Collaborate with your mentor and other researchers on projects where you can make significant contributions and be listed as the first author.  Think about career impact  How will the authorship order affect your career goals? While first authorship is valued, having publications with your mentor can be beneficial if they are well known in your field. Having your name as the second after an esteemed researcher can look great on your CV!  Communicate with your mentor  If you feel you deserve a first or co-first authorship role, express your concerns and discuss...

Dear Author,Thank you for your question, and I understand your confusion.Including your supervisor as a co-author is generally recommended when publishing a paper based on thesis work. However, such practices may vary depending on the target journal or the institution. Since your supervisor was involved during the thesis work, it is crucial to obtain their consent and involvement in the publication process, even if they have been unresponsive to your attempts to contact them.If you have been unable to reach your supervisor through emails, I would recommend exploring alternative means of communication such as phone calls or in-person meetings. If these don’t work, seek guidance from your department/institution's research ethics committee/or an academic advisor to understand the appropriate steps to take.While it may be an option to acknowledge your supervisor in the acknowledgement section of the paper, it is essential to adhere to the ethical standards of the journal. 

Dear Author,Thank you for the question. From what I understand, you're asking whether your boss should be listed as an author if he is the one that acquired funding and hired you. Funding information is typically requested by most journals and is mentioned either on the title page or as a separate section at the end of the main text. Moreover, since it isn't an intellectual contribution, individuals that help with funding are typically not listed as authors, though they can be mentioned under acknowledgments. In your case, since the individual concerned is your superior, I suggest you have a conversation with them about this, clarify the extent of their contribution, and confirm if they can be included in your acknowledgments.

Dear Author,Thank you for asking this question.The question seems to be little tricky. I’ll respond to this assuming—the authors have transferred the rights of their article content to the journal. Now, another group publishes article reusing the content without seeking permission from the publisher of existing article. This is certainly an ethical misconduct – copyright violation. Copyright infringement is a legal matter and will give rise to legal sanctions. In such cases, the publishers having rights of the article can sue the other publisher who have allowed reuse without taking permission.This was a straight answer to the question; however, one needs to know in-detail—what is copyright? Journals undertake different copyright policies. Authors should carefully read about this while submitting their work to the journal. The Creative Commons allow users to copy, distribute and transmit an article, adapt the article as long as the author is attributed. There are three commonly used licenses by the academic publishers: CC BY (permits commercial and non-commercial reuse), CC BY-NC (article is not used for commercial purposes), and CC BY-NC-ND (article is not used for commercial purposes, and the work is not modified or adapted in any way). Depending on the publisher’s copyright policy, the...

You have raised some interesting points. Let’s break down your query into parts. 1. Is it possible to acquire authorship for a theory that was submitted to a preprint server. It is possible for others to have public access and develop this theory, right? Then, can this preprint be the basis for claiming that I am the one who provided it in the first place? Well, you have almost answered your own question! Indeed, the nature of preprints lends itself to allowing the establishment of priority. What you seem to be worried about is “scooping.” Suppose another researcher in the same field publishes a theory inspired by your preprint before you do. You will still be able to publish your paper, because your preprint will have a digital object identifier (DOI) and a date stamp, indicating that you came up with the theory first. In other words, your preprint will serve as the basis for claiming priority for the theory, and you can indicate this to the editor of your target journal. Many journals acknowledge the priority claims of preprints under “scoop protection” policies. 2. I also wanted to know how much a preprint publishing agency costs (When the goal is to publish...

This is a tricky situation to be in; however, it is not uncommon for rifts to arise because of disagreements about authorship. It is important, therefore, to establish authorship before embarking on a study. Note that major changes made to a manuscript in response to reviewer comments (e.g., adding new data, new analyses) might justify the inclusion of a new author. However, most journals adhere to guidelines laid down by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) with regard to authorship. According to COPE, once a paper has undergone revision, if one or more authors are added or removed or the author order is changed, the journal will require a letter signed by all the original and additional authors stating the reason for the change and that all authors agree on the addition, removal, and/or reordering (see COPE flowcharts for author addition and removal).In your situation, your name cannot be dropped without your consent (as well as that of the other original authors) at this stage because the journal will not proceed without the authors’ signed declaration. Even if the corresponding author decides to withdraw the submission and resubmit the paper elsewhere, a letter signed by all the original authors will...