Hi all,

I hope everyone is well. I need a bit of advice regarding the listing of authors on a paper I worked on significantly. The post-doc after me (I no longer work there) has made some revisions (not a huge amount of work) and has now listed my name last despite me doing most of the work on the paper (and actually turning it into a publishable paper).

I started a post-doc just as the pandemic hit at a "prestigious" Russell Group university, which I did for 2 years until the beginning of this year. I was working on two quite different research areas. In the area I was hired for (biotechnology), I spent a lot of time working on a detailed survey paper with my PI. When handed over to me to work on, it was originally of undergraduate quality but covered some important work. The key metric used was wrong. I fixed that, made many revisions and improved the technical quality of the paper. It took quite a while alongside my other work (software engineering computational pipelines). The preprint with my changes was archived.

It was eventually submitted and at peer-review received a request for amendments. This was expected because no matter how well written the paper was it was multidisciplinary and focusing on a nascent biotechnology so satisfying and catering to all readers was challenging.

At this post-doc, I wrote and published 4 papers without my post-doc supervisor. Three alone and one with my previous Ph.D. supervisor using some results we had left over. There were two papers with my PI. This one discussed here and a short application note which unfortunately hasn't been published. In my mind, this was disappointing as I wanted to author more with my PI.

I've left the post-doc now but I was both glad and slightly horrified to see the post-doc who started 7 months after I left has now put my name last in the author list - it is now PI, him and then me (last).

As mentioned, I put a significant amount of work in and there would not be a paper had that not been the case.

The said paper is now under peer review -- I want to see it published (as I worked so hard on it), but want to be fairly credited for my authorship. How should I deal with this? (PI is a bit of a slippery Eel). Pop an email to the journal editor? I have not had a great experience with editors in the past when it comes to issues of integrity. I usually find they don't give a sh*t (excuse my French).

I was very enthusiastic about academia until issues (lack of integrity) with the slippery PI. Despite having my own papers published during this time it feels like a let-down. I now work commercially in the other area.

I would, honestly, just let it go.

It sounds like you're happy (and likely better paid) in an industry role now, where the order of authorship on a paper isn't going to have any meaningful impact on your career trajectory. Probably all you'd achieve by complaining is burning bridges, and whilst you may not care about setting them alight, I'm not sure what you'd gain.

It may be frustrating to not be lead author on something you worked hard on; there are different perspectives on this, though. Presumably the PostDoc PI, regardless how slippery a character they were, obtained the funding that was used to appoint you in the first place, without which the paper would not have happened. If the supervisor, and the new student, intend to stay in academia, that lead authorship is likely much more valuable to them than to you. There's also the matter that, depending on the field, authorship order may not matter much - but it sounds like this isn't the case.

If you absolutely must insist changing the order of authorship, you're a bit late, and yes, journal editors will roll their eyes a bit at some internal politics spilling into their editing process. Probably the route to go would be to pull at whatever the weakest aspect of the paper is and insist on re-writing it, and in the process of doing to adjust the authorship, meaning it's the supervisor/student who then have to complain rather than you.

1. I have been working at my current institution since September 2017. My research focus is on the effects of nutrition on the growth and development of Cannabis sativa L. (marijuana). I am currently conducting experiments to determine how different levels of nitrogen affect the growth rate of marijuana plants. I am also looking at the effect of different levels of phosphorous on the growth rate of marijuana. In addition, I am trying to find out if the addition of certain vitamins and trace elements would increase the growth rate of marijuana under controlled conditions.
2. I have had two post-doctoral experiences. One was at the University of California Davis where I worked with Dr. David Bienstock. We were studying the effects of different levels of nitrogen on the growth rate of cannabis. The second time I did a post-doc was at the University of Florida where I worked with Drs. John Hodge and Michael Turek. We were studying the effect of different levels phosphorous on the growth of cannabis. Both of these projects were funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
3. I have published three papers in peer reviewed journals. These articles were written about the results of my studies. I have also presented my findings at various conferences. I have also attended several workshops related to my field of study.
4. I have received funding for my research from the National Institute on Drug abuse.
5. I have learned many things while doing my post-docs. I have learned how to write grants and proposals. I have learned how scientific research works. I have learned how much work goes into writing a paper. I have learned how important it is to get feedback from people who know what they are talking about. I have learned how difficult it is to publish a paper. I have also learned how important it is for me to keep learning new things.
6. I have learned how hard it is to do science. I have learned how long it takes to finish a project. I have learned how little money is spent on research compared to how much money is spent on administration. I have learned how expensive it is to travel to conferences. I have learned how competitive it is to get funding. I have learned how stressful it is to try to figure out how to pay bills. I have learned how rewarding it is to finally finish a project.

Thanks for your thoughts, abababa. Hope you're keeping well.