Name not on published paper after doing research

[SpikesnSpookes]

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Hi all,

I worked hundreds of hours into gathering data for a surgical research project, and was guaranteed co-authorship in the paper. I did this 2 years ago and have been waiting for the other authors to put together the paper. This morning, I found the paper published without my name on it, and was wondering what I should do? The first author is an attending who I do a lot of research with who is also a very busy surgeon, and I think he may have just forgot to add my. name to it. What can I do in this situation? I'm a little upset since gathering that data took hundreds of hours from my end, but I also don't want to make things awkward and piss anybody off at my institution.

 

[Manual Disimpaction]

Regardless of amount of time spent in data collection if you didn't write part of the paper you don't meet criteria to be listed as an author. I know it sucks you were promised that but you don't have a leg to stand on. That being said it couldn't hurt too much to ask if you ask the right way.

 

[SpikesnSpookes]

He's helped me with a lot of research projects and opportunities - I was just guaranteed co-authorship based on the work I put in and I feel like they forgot to include me. I know I didn't write the actual paper but I gathered the information for it...is it worth even bringing up? Like I said, he's helped me out with other projects and presentation opportunities, but if there's a chance i can be added to the paper this late in the game, I'd like to try.

 

[ChrisMack390]

There are kind of two answers here.

Technically, if you didn't play a significant role in conceiving the idea for this project AND doing the research AND writing the paper, you aren't supposed to be an author.

Realistically, no one actually follows that.

 

[tvelocity514]

I would definitely request to meet with him and talk to him about it. Bring it up in a nice way (and non-abrasive). If it was me, I would pretend I didn't know about it being published yet and say you are looking to update your CV and was wondering if he knew when it would be published so you could list it since he said you would be an author on it.


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[sammiesings]

Maybe I'm dense, but isn't there nothing for the attending to do now? Its not like he can retract it just for an authorship, can he? And if he could, would it be worth his while- I imagine the process would be a nightmare.

At this point, if I were you I'd cut my losses. You can't really be that surprised as the work didn't get published until years after you stopped working on it. A lot can change on a project in those years... It wasn't just the writing of the paper- at least that's my best guess.

 

[michaelrack]

Maybe I'm dense, but isn't there nothing for the attending to do now? Its not like he can retract it just for an authorship, can he? And if he could, would it be worth his while- I imagine the process would be a nightmare.

At this point, if I were you I'd cut my losses. You can't really be that surprised as the work didn't get published until years after you stopped working on it. A lot can change on a project in those years... It wasn't just the writing of the paper- at least that's my best guess.

It's a nightmare process, but it should be possible to add an author that will be seen on Pub Med etc

 

[Goro]

For this one normally gets an acknowledgement for "expert secretarial assistance", not a co-authorship.

Did you even interpret any of the data? Make a table or a graph???

He's helped me with a lot of research projects and opportunities - I was just guaranteed co-authorship based on the work I put in and I feel like they forgot to include me. I know I didn't write the actual paper but I gathered the information for it...is it worth even bringing up? Like I said, he's helped me out with other projects and presentation opportunities, but if there's a chance i can be added to the paper this late in the game, I'd like to try.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

The first author is an attending who I do a lot of research with who is also a very busy surgeon, and I think he may have just forgot to add my. name to it. What can I do in this situation? I'm a little upset since gathering that data took hundreds of hours from my end, but I also don't want to make things awkward and piss anybody off at my institution.

Sorry, but I can guarantee you that this isn't the case. Authorship has a lot of politics associated with it, not just who is on the paper, but in what order. No PI accidentally forgets to put peoples name on a paper.

Bottom line: There is nothing you can do. If you feel really slighted, try to not interact with that person anymore. If you have to work with person, minimize it.

 

[failedatlife]

That is complete and utter garbage, but there is nothing you can really do now. The same thing happened to me in undergrad. I hope karma comes back to get each and every one of them.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

You didn't even read the proposed paper before it was submitted so it would have been inappropriate to put your name on it as you would have had to consented to having your name listed after you had read and "approved" the proposed submission. At least that is my understanding. Still kind of an annoying situation.

 

[MaxPlancker]

Not sure where everyone is getting the notion that authorship requires writing the paper in some form. Most co-authors on papers have very little, if anything, to do with the writing of the paper beyond going over the submission.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Not sure where everyone is getting the notion that authorship requires writing the paper in some form. Most co-authors on papers have very little, if anything, to do with the writing of the paper beyond going over the submission.

He didn't go over the submission though, which I think is the biggest point.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Regardless of amount of time spent in data collection if you didn't write part of the paper you don't meet criteria to be listed as an author. I know it sucks you were promised that but you don't have a leg to stand on. That being said it couldn't hurt too much to ask if you ask the right way.

This is absolutely false. Many journals clearly state state authorship is not exclusive to writing papers. I have one publication from only performing and designing experiments and it's stated as so in the paper.

 

[sammiesings]

Meh. I don't think data collection warrants an authorship. More of an acknowledgement. I get it sucks to be promised an authorship and not getting it. If you have a close enough relationship with the guy, ask about it in that frame. Definitely don't go in there thinking you deserve something you weren't given because A) don't burn that bridge and B) he was only doing you a solid by offering authorship to begin with. Data collection is not worthy of an authorship, for the most part

 

[Donald Juan]

If I had been promised authorship, and was told that my contribution to it was key and warranted authorship, then I would confront them about it. Obviously do it respectfully, but I wouldn't let him go about his day thinking he can promise people authorship and then deny it without having to talk to the person he told that to. I'm not saying you have some "leg to stand on" or some ramification to hold against him, but if people treat med students and peers this way they should at least have to look them in the eye and tell them why they thought there contribution was significant a priori then suddenly became not even worth an acknowledgment.