Research Input

[tartrate]

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What is a reasonable amount of work/time put in to be published as third/fourth author (or maybe even lower, and not guaranteed) from a small lab? This is volunteer/unpaid work.

I am curious because my postdoc expects me to be doing experiments from 9:00 AM to about 7:00 PM everyday. Compared to the other people in the lab, I seem to be doing disproportionately high amounts of work. What I am doing is not even an established or a routine thing either, as I am almost independently in charge of elucidating a certain pathway and its drug interactions (being vague for anonymity). Sometimes I feel the experiments given to me are pointless too, so this adds to my frustration. My postdoc does not seem to be a very mindful/sharp person (frequent mistakes, sloppy work, ignorant about published findings in his area of research), which makes me question some of the things I am supposed to do. This is my first research experience, but I am pointing out a lot of experimental aspects and published findings that are new to the postdoc...this does not seem right!

I probably would not mind so much if I did not have the added stress of med-school apps, which are not going so well. Maybe I can just hang in there and dutifully do all the work assigned to me, since it is only for another 8 months or so... but the last time I did this I incurred possibly permanent damage to my health...

I guess on the bright side, there probably is not many people out there who is able to be published within a year's time (albeit 3rd/4th or lower rank) with no prior research experience... and I am learning a lot and able to perform the experiments I do very well because of the sheer practice I get.

Bleh, maybe I just needed to vent.

 

[RxnMan]

The FAQ talks about the level of work required to get 1st, second, etc. authorship.

From your post, it sounds like you're getting a raw deal. Working those hours without pay is pretty bad. If you're cool with it, then fine, but I'd look for a job that pays and gets me pubs, education, etc.

 

[thesauce]

Agreed. I think it's situations like these that make some people hate research. You shouldn't have to be forced to do poorly designed projects for no pay. IMO: if you're doing the research only for authorship, get the hell out of there and either:

A. Find another lab that pays, or
B. Write a case report/review article. No, it's not typically as meaningful as published bench-work, but it'll only take you a few weeks, it'll be first author, and it will still look good to medical schools.