NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #19/NN_1992_19.iso/spool/sci/research/955

Internet Message Format | 1992-08-29 | 3.0 KB

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From: [e-mail] (Gerald Edgar)
Newsgroups: sci.research,sci.research.careers
Subject: Re: Dr. Fabrikant and honesty in science
Date: 28 Aug 1992 13:57:59 -0400
Organization: The Ohio State University, Dept. of Math.
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In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Juan Rodriguez-Sero) writes:
>I wholly agree with Dov (and, hopefully, many others); people who "don't
>even know about" a paper and "would give blank stares if asked about
>them" are not co-authors. They should be included in the acknowledge-
>ments if at all, but not as co-authors.

The custom varies from one field to another.  It is simplistic to
call one custom "dishonest".

Certainly what you say is true in my field (mathematics).  When I talk
to scientists in other fields, and mention that multiple-authors in
mathematics are traditionally listed in alphabetical order, some of
them seem amazed:  "But how would you know who is the principal author?"

A faculty screening committee was reading applications for the director
of a new research hospital.  One candidate had a gigantic publication
list.  It turned out that every paper written by anyone at the institute
he currently directed was required to list him as a co-author.

There was a case recently where a medical researcher had faked the data
in a paper.  When the legislative committee asked her co-authors about
the papers in question, they admitted they knew nothing about the
procedures that had been followed.  That proved embarassing to them.

A zoologist told me that the custom there is that the first author is the
one who did the work, the last author is the one who obtained the funding,
and the authors in between--who knows?

I am listed as an in-between author in a certain biochemistry paper.
I helped the principal author solve a mathematical problem, then
proof-read several drafts of the paper.  Whether the application of
fractal dimension to biochemistry means anything in biochemistry
is beyond my expertise to say.

Here is a story told to me by a mathematician.  He discussed a research
problem with one of his colleagues in chemistry, who politely sat there
and made no remarks.  Six months later, when the work was being
prepared for publication, he received a note from the chemist requesting
co-author listing.  The mathematician thought that odd, so he appealed
to the Dean, who ruled in favor of the chemist.  (The Dean was also a chemist.)
--
  Gerald A. Edgar                Internet:  [e-mail]
  Department of Mathematics      Bitnet:    EDGAR@OHSTPY
  The Ohio State University      telephone: [phone] (Office)
  Columbus, OH 43210             -292-4975 (Math. Dept.) -292-1479 (Dept. Fax)