I've been working in a lab for a while, but haven't been a "huge impact" on/a "huge part" of the experiment. So, I'm wondering who gets published as an author for a paper- is it anyone who was involved in the experiment (even if it was just crunching data and numbers, which eventually led to the results)?
Who gets published as an author of a research paper?
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The first author typically does most of the work and usually writes the paper, although I have heard that many PIs do this themselves. The last author is typically the corresponding author, which is the most prestigious and belongs to the professor who paid and conceived the project. The rest are listed by order of contribution. How does one become listed as AN author? that really depends on the corresponding author and whether he/she allows you to be listed.
I know some journals ask for a description of what each author contributed to avoid any unethical "author" additions. But this is not the norm from what I know.
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No it is not everyone involved. Crunching numbers would earn you an acknowledgement (useless as far as med school admissions go but might make you feel better about yourself) or nothing at all.
It is usually up to the lead author to decide who contributed enough to be an author on the paper. I'm guessing that you aren't very close to being an author if you have to ask this question.
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I have been working on a project, and we are planning to send the manuscripts to Organic Letters. I think I would be 3rd author. My PI does all the writing, and she gets all the credit, obviously - it's her brain child.
Better then no name on it, and it shows you made a positive impact on a scientific/ professional project.
It can't hurt your app that's for sure.
Better then no name on it, and it shows you made a positive impact on a scientific/ professional project.
It can't hurt your app that's for sure.
If by "crunching numbers" you mean performing data analyses that led to results ultimately included in the paper, I think that level of contribution certainly merits an authorship. Generally, though, it's a rare PI who is willing to hand you a publication on a silver platter. If you want one, let it be known to your PI and seek a more intensive role in your research.
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Depends on what the PI does. I'd ask before he/she submits the paper to clear things up.
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This is a tough one. You should have a feel for whether your contribution will result in being listed as an author. When I was published, I wrote a section of the paper and helped revise the rest: I had figured out a distinct part of the problem and the PI wanted me to describe it. I felt confident that I would be included as an author and I was.
I don't think the rest of the authors are always listed by order of contribution. Can anybody comment? I think you are either the first author or you are not. (Both deserve recognition in the admission's process.) I don't think adcoms are analyzing where you are in the list.
I agree with you on the placement of first and corresponding authors, however.
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Theoretically it should be by contribution, but it usually come down to politics. Like you say, authorship order matters very little outside of first/last but it still gets brought up. If the paper was the result of a collaboration with other people, even if all they did was provide samples, they may end up higher on the list than an undergrad who helped the first author plan and perform all the experiments. It mostly comes down to your PI.
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In theory, coauthors should be listed by contribution. In practice, no one cares.
It just doesn't matter. I'm sure there might be the occasional person who will fight for position of middling authorship. That person will fight and nitpick over EVERYTHING, not just coauthor order. In my entire time in academia, in every manuscript I've published, I've never had a single person ever question whether their name fell in the coauthor list.
The question of whether or not someone should be included/excluded as an author starts far more fights.
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The buzzword here is "intellectual contribution". This is what defines whether or not someone is listed as an author or not. If your work on the project was essential to the project's success, you should get an authorship. If not, then it could go either way. As has already been said, there is a lot of politics when it comes to authorship of articles. If you did a significant amount of work, I don't think it would be unreasonable to approach the first author of the paper and request that you be added to the author list. Be prepared to make a case for it though; "I'm applying to med school and I want to list a publication on my resume," is not a sufficient reason.
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