Comments on - Journal of Reza’s Desk, part II http://rezaghadiri.net/journal-reza-desk-2/ The Reza Ghadiri Project Thu, 03 May 2012 13:00:26 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Andrei http://rezaghadiri.net/journal-reza-desk-2/#comment-109 Andrei Fri, 02 Apr 2010 09:06:25 +0000 http://rezaghadiri.net/?p=284#comment-109 Speaking of authorship, and favoritism. I've seen a student do a lot of work on a project only to be "accidentally" omitted from the author list on the paper. Reza let the other guy take all the credit. Unbelievable as it was, they called it "a misunderstanding". Speaking of authorship, and favoritism. I've seen a student do a lot of work on a project only to be "accidentally" omitted from the author list on the paper. Reza let the other guy take all the credit. Unbelievable as it was, they called it "a misunderstanding".

]]> By: coiled coil http://rezaghadiri.net/journal-reza-desk-2/#comment-63 coiled coil Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:51:50 +0000 http://rezaghadiri.net/?p=284#comment-63 Ah, the famous "posthumous" publications that somehow emerge from a lab *years* after the "authors" leave. Good job on calling this kind of bad behavior out. In my experience, these seem to come about from the following scenarios: 1. The one you cite, where a previous grad student is up for a job/promotion and begs until the PI sends it. In these cases, I think the PI just holds on to stuff to enjoy the power trip. It is sad that so many people are stuck in a situation where they need a PI for something like this. The paper you seem (from pubmed) to be referring to is about "DNA logic gates", I would hope I never find myself in a position where my career depended on a paper like that. 2. Similar to 1, but it's PIs favorite chosen who hasn't published anything since the freebies he had in her/his old boss's lab. In these cases the PI seems peculiarly vested in maintaining the image of his/her old student. 3. The lab sycophant needs papers, and the PI grants (often first) authorship to something collecting dust on his desk. The previous first author often finds out very late in the process winds up infuriated, but sadly, needs the paper so he/she can't do much. This type of thing is generally bad for students as the value of the work to them (especially the primary author) is usually nearly zero years after they have left, but the PI benefits by being able to keep the worker tied to him/her without cost. Ah, the famous "posthumous" publications that somehow emerge from a lab *years* after the "authors" leave. Good job on calling this kind of bad behavior out. In my experience, these seem to come about from the following scenarios:

1. The one you cite, where a previous grad student is up for a job/promotion and begs until the PI sends it. In these cases, I think the PI just holds on to stuff to enjoy the power trip. It is sad that so many people are stuck in a situation where they need a PI for something like this. The paper you seem (from pubmed) to be referring to is about "DNA logic gates", I would hope I never find myself in a position where my career depended on a paper like that.

2. Similar to 1, but it's PIs favorite chosen who hasn't published anything since the freebies he had in her/his old boss's lab. In these cases the PI seems peculiarly vested in maintaining the image of his/her old student.

3. The lab sycophant needs papers, and the PI grants (often first) authorship to something collecting dust on his desk. The previous first author often finds out very late in the process winds up infuriated, but sadly, needs the paper so he/she can't do much.

This type of thing is generally bad for students as the value of the work to them (especially the primary author) is usually nearly zero years after they have left, but the PI benefits by being able to keep the worker tied to him/her without cost.

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