Open Discussion on Authorship

Personal Experience on "Authorship"

Personal Experience on "Authorship"

by ALVIN DUKE SY -
Number of replies: 1

In my career, I have encountered two instances of authorship misconduct. The first involved my former institution insisting on including a nurse working abroad as a co-author on a completed research paper. The justification was her potential to help publish the paper in a high-impact journal, with the institution covering the fees. Despite the research being presented in local journals, her sudden inclusion as the second author was frustrating. When I expressed my concerns, my supervisors reprimanded me, making me feel as though I was disrespecting their decisions.

The second incident involved a colleague who requested my assistance in responding to reviewer comments, re-analyzing data, and reviewing the results and discussion sections without additional compensation. This was beyond the scope of the original protocol. I suggested that my significant contributions warranted authorship, but my colleague rejected this idea and made me feel guilty for not completing the work despite being paid.

Both incidents were not formally reported, leading to unresolved frustrations and a sense of injustice - and made me develop trust issues with a lot of people.

In reply to ALVIN DUKE SY

Personal Experience on "Authorship"

by Cynthia Cordero -
Hello Alvin, I am a data analyst but am lucky to have worked with people who acknowledge my contributions. I hope you don't get discouraged, there are many good people to collaborate with.

My experience is the other way around. I have been included as author for papers I have not seen the final version of. This has not occurred recently though. This could be due to the inclusion of the item that only individuals who have approved the final version of the manuscript should be included as authors. I am happy that most journals require this.