Blog Comments

Kinetica Online is pleased to provide direct links to commentaries from our senior editor Dr. Steven Pelech has posted on other blogs sites. Most of these comments appear on the GenomeWeb Daily Scan website, which in turn highlight interesting blogs that have been posted at numerous sites in the blogosphere since the beginning of 2010. A wide variety of topical subjects are covered ranging from the latest scientific breakthroughs, research trends, politics and career advice. The original blogs and Dr. Pelech’s comments are summarized here under the title of the original blog. Should viewers wish to add to these discussions, they should add their comments at the original blog sites.

The views expressed by Dr. Pelech do not necessarily reflect those of the other management and staff at Kinexus Bioinformatics Corporation. However, we wish to encourage healthy debate that might spur improvements in how biomedical research is supported and conducted.

Authorship

'A Lie and a Sham'

Blogger DrugMonkey ranted that co-first authorship on scientific papers is "a lie and a sham and an embarrassment to our profession." S. Pelech notes that the assignment of authorship order in scientific manuscripts is almost always a political issue, especially for research projects that require multiple techniques, diverse expertise, and extensive collaboration. A large number of first and senior author publications will indicate that the researcher is truly talented and productive. A one hit wonder or a missed first authorship will ultimately mean relatively little to one's career. Read More...