How to request to be co-corresponding author

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Solution 1

While I don't really understand the value of this to you, not being in your immediate culture, the solution is clear as it is in most similar situations.

If you want something, just ask for it. Give her your reasons why it is important to you and why you need this at this time. If you ask it as a favor and not as a demand you might be more likely to prevail.

You may not be successful, but nothing you do can guarantee success. Asking keeps it collegial and preserves your relationship for the future.

Yes, you contributed, but so did she, I assume. In most places corresponding author is just a task, not an honor.

I'll suggest that whatever happens in the handling of a single publication it is unlikely to have much of an effect on your career. Working for long-term relationships is, to me, much more important than any check mark on a box or minor point on a CV.

Solution 2

What you write to your colleague is very similar to what you're writing here. You've strongly contributed to the computational side of this paper, and those computations form a substantial part of the paper. You feel that sharing corresponding authorship would accurately reflect both of your contributions. That's basically it.

You could also ask for a shared last authorship, and you should definitely consider asking for a shared first for your student who's done the computations.

Congratulations on the paper!

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Updated on February 26, 2020

Comments

  • Open the way
    Open the way over 3 years

    We had a paper accepted in one of the top biology journals (IF=15). It is a work in which I participated in the part of computational biology, and was submitted by a colleague, she being the corresponding author since she is an expert on the field. We had a major revision and I had to do an outstanding work and a lot of calculations in order to have the paper accepted. I even developed a new approach. So now that we are at the proof stage, I would like to request her to appear in the paper as co-corresponding author since this is very important in my country. I do not know exactly how to do it. I will tell her to add me as co-corresponding with the text “to which all computational biology based correspondence should be addressed” since she is wet lab biologist. But I do not think this will be enough argument for her, i guess she will say initial ideas came from her side. What do you suggest for my “cover letter” to her?

    • Nate Eldredge
      Nate Eldredge over 4 years
      Is this even allowed by the journal? My experience has been that journals only allow one corresponding author.
    • Open the way
      Open the way over 4 years
      Many journals I know allow several corresponding authors. And in addition, I have the experience that journals such as Scientific Reports allow adding co-corresponding authors during proofs stage
    • Anyon
      Anyon over 4 years
      Is there also prestige to being the single corresponding author in your or your colleague's countries? Because if there isn't you might well be overthinking this.
    • Open the way
      Open the way over 4 years
      Yes, i think there is prestige in being the only corresponding
    • Solar Mike
      Solar Mike over 4 years
      Is it possible to consider a paper on your own showing this "new" approach - perhaps find another area where it could be applied to reinforce it?
    • Open the way
      Open the way over 4 years
      Yes, that is what I am doing now.
    • Prof. Santa Claus
      Prof. Santa Claus over 4 years
      Why don't you just say that being the correspondent author is valuable in your country? This shouldn't be a problem unless being the correspondent author is also valuable in her country.
    • Open the way
      Open the way over 4 years
      we are based in the same country. the problem I see is that she can say "I want to be the only corresponding author. If both of us are corresponding, then it is of no value for me"
  • Open the way
    Open the way over 4 years
    Yes I agree completely on asking it as a favor instead of a demand. And also in the value of long term relationships. Thanks for the point
  • Open the way
    Open the way over 4 years
    From my point of view, a shared last authorship is the same as sharing corresponding authorship. Otherwise, why do you think it is different? Thanks for the answer
  • Designerpot
    Designerpot over 4 years
    It feels the same to me as well. However, I think I've seen shared last authorships that were not all corresponding (and I've also seen corresponding authorships for people who weren't last authors) - but my memory could be playing tricks on me.