This story is based on real events and was anonymized to keep all parties safe. The names here mentioned are fictional names.
Peter has been working as an immunologist for over 30 years. Thanks to his natural talent, passion for continuously educating himself and hard work, he achieved a position as a Head in Clinic. Due to his experience and knowledge, he was often asked to give lectures and presentations in medical universities in his own country and abroad. Peter realised how fulfilling it was to teach and share his best practices with young doctors. For this reason, he agreed to work as a part-time lecturer and mentor at the university, his alma mater. This job consisted of giving lectures throughout the semester and also enabled him to be a tutor of PhD students and help them with their research.
Anna is a young doctor. As a kid, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which influenced her decision to specialise herself in immunology. After finishing her medical degree and completing her residency, she earned her license and certification in Immunology. During her studies, she attended Peter’s lectures. She admired his knowledge and experience and had his presentation in high regard. She appreciated that Peter gave his students several practical pieces of advice and that he was willing to share with them his own experience. Anna was invited to enrol in a doctoral study, due to her excellent study result, to which she agreed and enrolled herself. She couldn’t wait to start her own research about rheumatoid arthritis. When she had the option to choose her tutor, her choice was obvious – she asked Peter to be her tutor and he accepted it.
They got on well at the beginning. Both of them were curious about diseases and the results that Anna’s research could bring. Peter didn’t want to be involved in the laboratory work due to his full schedule. Therefore, they agreed that Peter’s role was going to be more as a consultant, helping Anna in cases where she would be struggling. Anna was able to visit the laboratory daily due to Peter’s contacts, and he also gave her useful papers and statistics to study. Without Peter, Anna wouldn’t have been able to have access to these materials.
Anna finished her research and gave it to Peter to review and provide her with feedback. Peter praised Anna for her good work and proposed it be published. When they were discussing the publication details, Peter mentioned his name should come as the first author followed by Anna’s. Anna was shocked.
- What are your views about this case?
- Who do you think should be the first author of the paper?
- Do you think Peter has the right to put his name on that paper, even though he didn’t participate in the bench-work?
- Do you think Anna would have been able to complete her research without Peter’s help?
- Do you think that Peter’s reputation would benefit this work being published?
- What solutions do you propose for cases like this?
You are welcome to share your views about this case and engage in a discussion with others.