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Right to Reorder?

Nov 01, 2011

BenchFly's Alan Marnett asks: "Exactly how flexible is the co-first author asterisk?" He calls co-first authorship "one of the more polarizing topics in publishing." As such, BenchFly is polling its readers on the practice, specifically asking whether it is acceptable for a co-first author who is listed second on a paper to rearrange the author list so as to have his or her name first on a CV. While some say the bylines must not be altered, others find it only fair that the second-listed co-first author put him or herself first, Marnett says.

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