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Loay Kassem: Who should be the first author of the manuscript?
Mar 29, 2025, 12:06

Loay Kassem: Who should be the first author of the manuscript?

Loay Kassem, Assistant Professor of Clinical Oncology at Kasr AlAiny School of Medicine, shared a post on LinkedIn:

Who should be the first author of the manuscript?

A very tricky topic and a source of big friction in Academia.
Here are TWO ways to discuss it with your colleagues.

1. Authors in order of contribution.

Where first author is the one who provided the most intellectual input followed by second, then third, etc….

2. First and Last authors rules.

Where the first author is the one who wrote the first draft (and did most of practical work) and last author provided the main ideas for the project and led the team.
The rest of authors are ordered from second to pre-last according to their contribution.

So, how to decide the authors’ order in your next paper?

I have 2 advices:

1. Decide the roles and authorship rules before starting your research project.
2. Write the author contributions in the manuscript in details.

Share with your colleagues if you found this useful.”

Loay Kassem