DrugMonkey says that co-first authorship on scientific papers is "a lie and a sham and an embarrassment to our profession." PIs and lab heads should make it clear to the researchers working under them that there is no such thing as "co-equal" and that the very idea is a "valueless sop," DrugMonkey adds.
It should be made clear to any co-authors that such a note on a paper won’t bee seen as equal by the academic community, DrugMonkey says, adding that co-authors should have to sign a statement to that effect and know that it may affect their careers.