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Shared co-first authorship is defined as two or more authors who have worked together on a publication and contributed equally [8]. For instance, Gastroenterology acknowledges up to two co-first authors by bolding their names in the reference section but not in the body of the manuscript [10].
How many first authors are allowed?
Only one of the authors will appear as first author, in any publication. Every other entry is a secondary entry. However, corresponding authors could be as many as three depending on the multi-disciplinary nature of the article.
Traditionally, co-first authors are indicated by an asterisk and the order of the individuals is the decision of the PI. Once the paper is published, it appears in print as follows: co-Author 1*, co-Author 2*, Author 3, and Author 4.
Can the second author present while the first author is present?
So having the second author presenting while the first authors is in the audience seems totally OK for me. (It could just be that the presenting authors is the “best presenter of the group” or, by contrast, should train presenting…) Also it is totally OK for you to be first presenter, especially since the student agreed.
Generally the authors are arranged in the order of their contribution to the paper, but if the second author and the third author contribute similarly, then the one with higher fame in the academic circle or with the closer relation with the first author will be the 2nd author.
What is the difference between the first author and last author?
Sometimes, the first author is the main author of a paper or its the corresponding author (or both). The last author might be the senior author, i.e., the project or group leader.
Publishing a paper as the first author is very crucial for the scientific career of a Ph.D. student. Most Ph.D. programs worldwide require a Ph.D. student to have at least one first-authored paper in order to qualify for a degree. So an authorship dispute would be inevitable if two Ph.D. students were to work on the same project for their degree.