What does third author mean?

Thus, the third author would have contributed less than the second author, the fourth author less than the third, and so on. However, if you are referring to the third author in a three-author paper, things might be different. In this case, the third author would be the last author.

How important is first authorship?

students were to work on the same project for their degree. For post-doctoral researchers and senior professors, publishing first-authored papers is important for receiving funding and getting promoted or re-hired. Thus, the first name in an author list is the most sought-after position in a scientific publication.

Does corresponding author matter?

This is a common doubt, especially at the beginning of a researcher’s career, but easy to explain: fundamentally, a corresponding author takes the lead in the manuscript submission for publication process, whereas the first author is actually the one who did the research and wrote the manuscript.

Who is corresponding author in research paper?

The corresponding author is the point of contact for editors, readers, and outside researchers who have questions about the contents of the paper. Often, the corresponding author is also the last author, but she or he may be listed first or even in the middle of the author list.

Who becomes first author?

The last one is often the senior author of the paper, the person that has conceptualized and supervised the work, and the person in whose group or lab all or most of the work has been done. The first author is the person whose name appears first on the paper and thus, often, the person whose name is remembered.

Is last Author important?

Traditionally, the last author position is reserved for the supervisor or principal investigator. As such, this person receives much of the credit when the research goes well and the flak when things go wrong.