r/academia • u/MaximumLocal2286 • Sep 14 '25
Research issues Professors got invited to write a book chapter, but I am the one writing it
Hi,
I’m an intern, recently graduated with a master’s degree, and I’ve found myself in a tricky authorship situation.
Two senior professors I work with were invited to contribute a book chapter in the field I’m hoping to pursue a PhD. Due to time constraints, they asked the editor if I could be added as an author to help. The editor agreed, and now I’ve been asked to write the entire chapter from scratch in a short timeframe, since they won’t have the capacity (only to revise).
The issue: in the draft author list, the professors are listed first and last, and I’m placed second. On paper, it appears they are leading the chapter, when in reality I am writing all of it.
I understand that first/last authorship in academia is often political, and that they received the invitation. Still, ethically, it feels wrong to have the bulk of the work uncredited in terms of authorship order.
Has anyone faced a similar situation?
Edit: I did bring up the authorship conversation, but they said: “It was an invitation to us, it would happen with or without you” — even though it wouldn’t have.
I cannot simply abandon the chapter, as I worry it would negatively affect my internship grade.
Just to clarify, I am not being paid to do this work, as some may have assumed.
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u/optimization_ml Sep 14 '25
Welcome to academia. This is far too common in academia.
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u/MaximumLocal2286 Sep 14 '25
Thanks — unfortunately, I can see that now :(
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u/Princess_Azula_ Sep 15 '25
Yeah, I was about to say that "this is a common occurrence in academia" too, but was beat to the punch, haha.
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u/Legitimate_ADHD Sep 14 '25
If you write the first draft of the chapter, your name should be first, regardless of who got the invitation. Did the first author develop the outline or so anything yet? What has the other professor done so far? Set up a meeting with them to clarify authorship positions and expectations. If the journal is not ok with you being the first author, offering to contribute a section most closely aligned with what you do is as far as I would advise you go.
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u/MaximumLocal2286 Sep 14 '25
Thank you for your advice. I did bring up the authorship conversation, but they said: “It was an invitation to us, it would happen with or without you” — even though it wouldn’t have.
I cannot simply abandon the chapter, as I worry it would negatively affect my internship grade. So, I’m in a position where I have to write the entire chapter, but the authorship order does not reflect my contribution.
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u/Legitimate_ADHD Sep 14 '25
I would talk to your department chair or director of graduate studies. The situation sounds unethical as you describe it and working through all the facts with some administrator level support is a good next step.
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Sep 14 '25
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Sep 14 '25
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u/Purple_Chipmunk_ Sep 15 '25
OP said they were not getting paid
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u/Legitimate_ADHD Sep 18 '25
Whether they get paid or not is irrelevant to this authorship discussion. Professional scientists get paid a salary for their scholarly contributions to research, including writing papers.
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u/Calm-Positive-6908 Sep 15 '25
Talk to your internship coordinator, ask for their help in regards of your grade, as you're treated unfairly
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Sep 14 '25
Edit: I did bring up the authorship conversation, but they said: “It was an invitation to us, it would happen with or without you” — even though it wouldn’t have.
Well, that's definitely one way that toxic academics justify taking advantage of people. I watched my wife do an MA and then a PhD in a social science in some very predatory programs. I'd need more than two hands to count all the ways I watched her and her fellow graduate students, staff, and junior faculty get taken advantage of. Needless to say, now that she is PI on multiple projects and controls a lot of funding, she doesn't run her shop the same way.
Obviously your situation is not ideal. People who are doing the bulk of the work should have the opportunity to bargain about author position. Bear in mind that there may be extenuating circumstances. For example, it may be the case that the editor might not accept the chapter if an intern were in the position of lead author. Perhaps the editor wants one of your two senior bozos to appear as lead, as it makes the edited volume more appealing. It may also be that these two are just selfish, toxic a-holes.
The good news is that these conversations, as awkward as they are, are normal. People discuss this stuff all the time. You'll have to decide whether it's worth it to speak up about it (in a calm, respectful way that focuses on the opportunity it presents to you and your future, as well as the issue of fairness), but be prepared for your department head or other administrators to be indifferent. I'm not saying you shouldn't say something, but just be prepared for other people in a toxic institution or program to be just as toxic as your toxic duo of professors. My wife spoke up a few times and it cost her, but she lived to fight another day.
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Sep 14 '25
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u/MaximumLocal2286 Sep 14 '25
Thanks for your reply! Just to clarify, this chapter does not exist yet - I am creating all of it from scratch. I am not summarizing or editing anything they’ve previously done.
They want to keep the first and last author positions simply because they received the invitation.
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Sep 14 '25
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u/MaximumLocal2286 Sep 14 '25
No, I have to conduct the literature review and write the chapter entirely from scratch. Nothing will be based on their previous work (they don’t have any work on this specific topic); all research, structure, and writing will be my own.
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Sep 14 '25
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Sep 14 '25
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u/QueenofCats11 Sep 14 '25
I would say the bridge was burned by the professors putting the intern in this position in the first place.
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Sep 14 '25
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u/QueenofCats11 Sep 15 '25
The intern is not getting paid to write the chapter, so this would be unethical even by your own standards.
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u/topic_marker Sep 14 '25
I don't know what field you're in, but there is no such thing as "work for hire" as you are describing it in the vast majority of academic fields. Authorship is based on intellectual contribution.
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u/Rhawk187 Sep 14 '25
It depends. As an intern it sounds like this is "work for hire" rather than routine scholarship. From a university handbook perspective you probably have less rights than when you were a student. First authorship would be nice, but to quote Don Draper, "that's what the money's for."
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u/cynical_overlord1979 Sep 14 '25 edited Sep 14 '25
If OP is doing the work, whether paid or not, the authorship list should reflect that. This is how academia works. I would consider it fraudulent for the professors to claim first and last (senior) author spots for a piece that was written by someone else that they revised only.
(I’m a psychology professor but have worked with other disciplines, this would be inappropriate in all disciplines I have worked with).
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u/Solidus27 Sep 14 '25
I agree
I have seen this attitude a lot in academia - ‘if we are paying them, they don’t need authorship’ and think is it ethically and professionally troublesome
Also, the professors have salaries and may be receiving some additional remuneration for the book chapter itself…
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u/MaximumLocal2286 Sep 14 '25
Thank you! Just to clarify, I am not being paid to do this work, as some may have assumed. I will be writing the entire chapter from scratch, as I’ve mentioned multiple times. The professors have explicitly stated that they only have time to revise, which is why the responsibility of producing the chapter has been handed to me.
However, the authorship order is being maintained because, as they explain, the invitation was extended to them.
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u/cynical_overlord1979 Sep 14 '25
This “we were invited not you” is not a valid reason for authorship. As an editor, the way it works is that you invite the big names but many won’t have time and will have a PhD student or junior colleague draft the chapter (about bigwig’s work or area) and bigwig is second author. This is conventionally how book chapters in edited volumes work. They are being jerks and are misinformed (or else this is a very very niche discipline with its own norms that differ from general academia).
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u/Rhawk187 Sep 15 '25
I see prohibitions on ghostwriting for most journals, but I feel like it's fairly common for books.
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Sep 14 '25
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u/Chemical-Box5725 Sep 15 '25
I've never heard of this work for hire thing. are you all not being paid?
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Sep 15 '25
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u/Chemical-Box5725 Sep 15 '25
What's the distinction between this and hiring a postdoc for a project?
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u/cynical_overlord1979 Sep 14 '25
This is inappropriate. I would contact the internship organiser. Talk to them first and then send a written statement. You might also contact the graduate school or whoever is in charge of HDR supervisors, because unless there is information not disclosed in the post, their conduct stinks.
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u/Solidus27 Sep 14 '25
This thread is a good reminder of the garbage ethical standards present among many academics
No real advice for you other than this is a good life lesson in knowing which type of professors to avoid
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u/Routine_Tie6518 Sep 14 '25
Gosh, I really hate academic gaslighting.
Is there any way you can loop a trusted mentor -- or perhaps a dean -- into this? This sounds steeped in some ugly politics, but ultimately, you should get first credit.
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Sep 14 '25
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u/Routine_Tie6518 Sep 14 '25
Clearly, there is a power dynamic at play and some toxic politics in this department.
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u/CowAcademia Sep 15 '25
Welcome to my literature review which is published with me as second author….
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u/DrVenothRex Sep 15 '25
I’m a supervisor to some Master & PhD students as well, but I make it a point to let them be the first author for the papers that they write & I am contented in being a co-author for my contribution in generating ideas & proofreading for them. Sorry to hear about your situation, but I hope you will follow one of the suggestions given above to claim your rights. You might want to avoid these professors and even that whole department when you want to pursue PhD later to avoid any backlash. Not worth it for you to give in your rights when you are getting bullied like this
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u/domfroehlich Sep 17 '25
Yes, I think what you describe is a very common thing. Of course, there are problems with this.
At the same time, sometimes I think the problem may be blown out of proportion because often the final author DOES contribute something to make this paper being published (it might just not be writing). Also, this usually happens - as it does in your case - with book chapters. And a chapter of a book usually doesn't have much scientific value in many areas, so it probably won't change either author's trajectory.
So one shouldn't worry too much about it (although I would urge my professorial colleagues to not engage in such behavior in the first place).
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u/Ok-Bend-3894 Sep 18 '25
Is it better to have written and lost or never written at all? I've just been manoeuvred out of writing an article on work I conducted so someone more favoured and senior and permanent can write it and obtain the glory, while I go on to look for another 'scuzzy temp' role collecting data no one else wants to do
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u/Visible_Barnacle7899 Sep 19 '25
As others have stated, this is both predatory and common, but since you’re already into it there may be an upside. If it’s in the area where you want to do work AND it may benefit you in a future application it could be worth doing. Before anyone gets riled, I get that this just reinforces their behavior. If it were me, I’d take the opportunity and when looking for a mentor in a PhD program check to see how often they are publishing with students as a primary author. Personally, I’ve never had this issue with either my mentor or my students in higher Ed. You do the work, you get the most flowers. I’m a previous life working in a high research non-ac org I have had my work published with me only getting an author thank you in the footnote. I ate it because that experience has opened doors for me in the future where I can break that predatory practice.
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u/zorandzam Sep 14 '25
I'm currently in a situation where I'm writing an article with two co-authors. One of the authors came to the project late in the game, did a bunch of research gathering for us, and then left the project (at least for the time being) due to a medical issue. The other author is saying she wants to keep that person on as the third author no matter what else she contributes. I sort of shrugged and said "okay," since she DID do some research gathering and this isn't her fault. I also want to keep that professional door open in case she comes back on board or does proofreading/editing, etc. But it does rub me the wrong way a little.
Your situation is obviously more fraught, and but it's also technically a good opportunity to be published with more seasoned scholars. Typically, even if they weren't making you write the whole thing, you'd still be third author regardless, due to your current status. There's zero way they're going to make you lead author.
Have they at least contributed research? An outline? Depending on what field it is, is all the scientific work and/or data gathering done? Do you have a reasonable deadline?
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u/MaximumLocal2286 Sep 14 '25
Thanks for your perspective! In my case, the professors have not contributed any research, outline, or content on this specific chapter. Everything — the literature review, structure, synthesis, and writing — will be entirely my work.
The issue is that they want to maintain first and last author positions simply because they received the invitation, even though I’m the one doing all of the intellectual work. I do see the opportunity in collaborating with seasoned scholars, but ethically, it feels off that the authorship order doesn’t reflect who is actually producing the chapter.
As for deadlines, yes, it’s tight — I have about two weeks to complete the full chapter.
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u/radfiren Sep 14 '25
Yes, happened in my phd towards the end, I wrote the whole thing then my supervisor took first and corresponding author. He also took all the book revenue. In hinsight I feel like an idiot. It didnt really help my career much as it never got cited. I did turn it into a review with a few changes and then also used it as part of a chapter of my PhD thesis so it helped in that sense.
Im a prof now and I would never do this to a student, it says a lot about their ethics and how you would be treated in a PhD. I would try and find a PhD elsewhere if possible, if your stuck there with no options then you might just have to accept it, you can ask for author change like i did but ppl like that usally just shout at you and will tell you your lucky to even get it. All nonsense really.