Okay, this thread is for those who have had some indirect or direct experience in the publishing end of research... I'm not trying to exclude people or anything, its just I want a relevant conversation.
Here is my situation. I am about finished with my own original research I have conducted in a neurosurgery laboratory. I have written the paper by myself. My question deals with authorship. Can it be published in strong journals, like the Journal of Neurosurgery, with my name as a first author even though I don't have a md, phd, or anything (i'll graduate this next spring from college)? All the other peripheral names of course will be md's or md/phds's, but I would almost consider it intellectual robbery for me not to be the first author.
Second question deals with submission to journals... one of the residents told me today not to aim for such a strong journal, like the Journal of Neurosurgery, but something in the middle. However, my PI always publishes in J. of Neursurg. and others including myself feel there is serious implications at stake in this paper... not to brag, but it is powerful in tumor classification, and I feel it deserves to be in a strong journal so that many people will read it... so do I submit it to a middle-class journal and play it safe, or do I "go for the gusto", since I only live once? I think I should go for the gusto, and screw the resident (figuratively, not literally), even though he is a nice gentleman.
Thanks
TheRock
Here is my situation. I am about finished with my own original research I have conducted in a neurosurgery laboratory. I have written the paper by myself. My question deals with authorship. Can it be published in strong journals, like the Journal of Neurosurgery, with my name as a first author even though I don't have a md, phd, or anything (i'll graduate this next spring from college)? All the other peripheral names of course will be md's or md/phds's, but I would almost consider it intellectual robbery for me not to be the first author.
Second question deals with submission to journals... one of the residents told me today not to aim for such a strong journal, like the Journal of Neurosurgery, but something in the middle. However, my PI always publishes in J. of Neursurg. and others including myself feel there is serious implications at stake in this paper... not to brag, but it is powerful in tumor classification, and I feel it deserves to be in a strong journal so that many people will read it... so do I submit it to a middle-class journal and play it safe, or do I "go for the gusto", since I only live once? I think I should go for the gusto, and screw the resident (figuratively, not literally), even though he is a nice gentleman.
Thanks
TheRock