Author Order In A Research Paper | Author Weightage In Multi-Authored Research Paper

If you have recently joined a research and plan to publish a research paper, Choosing who is the first author, and whose is the last and corresponding author, is a challenge for you.

We are available to help you, author Order In A Research Paper

We usually set the author order by the names of the authors in the research paper in such a way that the level of contribution and other less significant contributions are evident in the research work, i.e., the first author to the most and the least to the last.

But, this is not a strict rule. In some cases, it is more difficult to determine which author has given more support than another.

However, some journals ask to mention the work done by each author in the heading (author contribution) to understand the contribution made by each worker to a particular paper.

The order author naming in research and academic contribution will use in the mark allocation process for each author during academic performance indicator (API) and other academic evaluations.

For example, 0.5 weight for the first writer, 0.4 for the second author, and so on. However, I do not believe there is a common framework for this.

Arrangement of the author in a research paper

Generally, in the organization of authors’ names on a research paper, after the first author, writers are often listed as co-authors according to their role in the work, from most to least.

In most research papers always write the author’s surname name before listing his or her initials.

You only need to provide the initials of the first and middle name given by the source and put a comma after each last name and between the names of different authors.

If more than one author has contributed equally, you can ask the journal editor to show this in the publication. 

Types of the author in research paper or author order

First author

The first author should be the person who has contributed most to the research work, including the writing.

The order of the authors should be determined by the total contributions to that research paper, but it is a common practice that senior author to appear at the end, sometimes no matter how much he/she contributes.

Tips: Some time it has been noticed that your Ph.D. supervisor demand to become the first author of your research paper and it’s a fallacy.

Second author

The second author is a second main character of your paper, who contributes most in experimental work and writing, proofreading of manuscripts, but less than that of the first author and more than every third, fourth and rest authors. Author considerations usually cover all your contributions to that project.

Principal/Corresponding author

This author recognition is a common question among all scholars and often seen at the beginning of the researcher’s career, but it is easy to explain. Mainly, the corresponding author or co-author is the person who has made a significant contribution in research and shares responsibility and accountability for the research results.

He/she also leads the text delivery process from paper submission, review, galley proof, and till final publication and the other author is actually the researcher who wrote and format the manuscript.

The corresponding author is usually a senior researcher or scholar, such as a senior professor or chief researcher (PI), with extensive publishing experience and experience.

For this reason, they are often promoted or decided by other writers in the group. The corresponding author takes all the primary duties of communicating with the journal editorial board during the text submission, peer review, and publishing process.

Third or more authors

In some cases, the third writer of the research paper may be the last author and usually a supervisor or PI of your research work, and they seek special value in some fields of study.

A third author is a person who has to get research grants from any funding agency and under whose supervision the project has seen completed.

Last author of the paper

The last author is usually a team leader or PI who may have provided important input in the research work, framed your research, and supervised the research work, but he may not have actively done any experiments or written this paper.

The final author is frequently the corresponding author.

Ghost author

Ghost author is the author who has made a supportable contribution in research, data analysis, and or handwriting but is not named or disclosed on the author’s line or in acknowledgment. 

Authors’ weight in a research paper

Speaking of analysis, I have noticed that selection committees can follow their own mark allocation process for each author.

But according to the latest UGC guidelines and API Score for shared publishing, there is 70% of the total value of the publication is for the first / corresponding/guide/mentor or and the remaining 30% point for other authors.

If the first author or corresponding author is the same person, the recipient must be given 70% of the total point of that paper and if you are a single author you get 100% or full point, but in two authors 70% of the total value for each author.

Each published research paper counts the author’s index, which is the measure of your CV and is used in our academic promotion and carries.

Credit in your CV is checked, the number of papers, the impact of the Journal, and the quotes on the papers are regarded.

Read: Difference between Biodata Resume and CV

This is all about this article and I hope it helps you in your research paper framing. This is all for today. Thank you for attention. Subscribe to KRS for my Blog for a new article that KRS posts from time to time. Comments in the comments section below if you like this article.  

If you find this article useful, don’t forget to share it!

Related articles:

• What is Author Platform | How to Build Best Author Platform a Publisher Want to See

General FAQ realted to Author Order In A Research Paper