courage2

This is only tangentially about alcohol. It's about alcohol because I have no confidence in my own moral compass. I lost it for a long time. So now I ask.

Here's the setup: I'm in the revision stages of a manuscript that I expect will be published next year. I'm the first of four authors.

The last author was part of a collaboration going back to about 2011, before I crashed and started to sober up. The individual and I made an agreement to develop two studies, with me leading one and her the other.

She's never done anything for the work she was to develop. She contributed a few comments on the paper I lead, which didn't affect the work in a substantive way.

I offered her the fourth author position because of the original arrangement.

I've recently communicated with her about whether it's appropriate to keep her on the paper at all as it proceeds to publication (I hope). She says she understands either way, but of course that's a lie. It will be a slap to her if I take her off. On the other hand, leaving her on misrepresents the work of the other authors, myself included.

What would you do in a similar situation?

All responses are welcome!

Optimini

That is a really tough call. I'm too nice, I'd probably leave her on just for the good karma. LOL

Dee74

I'm assuming she wasn't very prominent in the initial collaborative stages either.

I used to be in academia several lifetimes ago

A few comments on a paper does not deserve an author credit for a project 5 years in the making - maybe a nod in the foreword if you feel thats warranted?

Is this really a moral quandry for you Courage? It seems pretty cut and dried to me.

Are you worried about fallout instead maybe?

D

SoberLifeForMe

I don't really see much of a dilemma at all. If she didn't contribute anything substantial, it would be dishonest to include her with credit as a co-author. I get that she might be upset, but she had a part in the agreement, and if she didn't fulfill her side of it, I would say your responsibility to uphold your side is nullified.

But, take this with a grain of salt, since I'm not an author and don't know how the professional writing and publishing world works.

courage2

Thanks for the responses so far -- I'm open to all viewpoints!

courage2

PS how long do you have to be sober before there's such a thing as a simple decision?

Dee74

This job cured me of deliberating everything to the nth degree
I have faith in my judgement again

D

JeffreyAK

I dunno, I've published hundreds of scientific papers (literally, author and co-author), and in my experience there's usually nothing to be gained by leaving someone's name off the author list if they ought reasonably to be on it. Especially if she thinks she should be on it, or would carry a grudge if you don't include her. I've encountered nasty backlash from doing this on multiple occasions when I was younger and less wise, so I'll always err on the side of being inclusive as long as there is some minimal contribution I can point to. But it depends on the field, each one has its own "rules", so I'm not sure what your own best course of action is. Maybe ask your other co-authors what they think?

fini

this kind of dilemma, i think, is what the "principles before personalities" is designed to address.

in a very real way, you'd be slapping everyone in their face if she is included.
and not be doing her any favors, ultimately, either.

courage2, it helps me sometimes to imagine myself ten, twenty years from now. or on my 'deathbed', looking back. sometimes, that can bring immediate clarity as to what i need to do. projecting it into hindsight by projecting into the future. what will i wish i would have done?
and what would this mature person of integrity that i admire so....what would she do?

and i'm glad she said it's fine either way. whether it's a lie or not is not about you. not for you to be concerned with. and her saying it's fine either way just makes it that much easier.

a question you might delve deeper into after you've made a decision might be why this is coming up? why the quandary? seems not so much about a moral compass as...well, i don't know....more about fear of...what? or discomfort with...?

just guesses, c.

courage2

This has been very useful and instructive. I've also talked to two colleagues who are not involved in this and don't know the other authors, and my husband.

I understand the cut-and-dried contractual side, which is what makes me think I'd be "in the right" to exclude her.

I understand that my sense of quandary is somewhat out of proportion to the case. Not entirely, though -- author lines are very important in academia.

Now, having worked this through here, I see it's a textbook case: at some level, I've been fussing about this issue because I know my motive stems from resentment. Her name on the paper rankles. It's not just her failure to work --it includes knowing that back during those years when I was helplessly falling to my bottom, I made bad decisions like trying to collaborate her *and* not guiding her to follow through, which I probably could have done if I hadn't spent a 1.5 years trying to get sober. Doing that would have been better for both of us, and I wouldn't be having this dilemma now.

Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to figure that out.

Many years ago my philosophy used to be, leave it to somebody else to be the hard-ass. There are plenty of people around who will be only too happy to punish you for your faults. It doesn't need to be me.

She gets to keep her line. I'll go with the spirit of inclusiveness. On my deathbed I'd rather think that I tried to be generous that that I had principles.

courage2

In the spirit of honesty, not 1.5 years trying to get sober. If it goes back to 2011, 1.5 years drinking 24-7, and 1.5 years moping around before committing to sobriety. Not a 5 year project. A 2 year project plus 3 years truly wasted time.

Boleo

I would review the original agreement as it was written out. I would then adhere to that agreement verbatim.

Being in recovery, the last thing I would do is rationalize, justify, minimize or deny any part of the original agreement.

puffy

My views have changed so much since contemplating my life when faced with cancer. Let's just say your decision is inclusion as you say. Plain and simple, it makes me smile. When I die, I'd like people to look at me and say she was a good person.

courage2

It's good to see you, puffy! How are you?

Mountainmanbob

This layman's point of view is
to not include her.

I would think that to her this would come as no surprise.

M-Bob

Dee74

I think you made a good choice Courage, with good insight...and FWIW I think better than my solution.

I forgot it's often better to be kind than right

courage2

Thx Dee -- not to say all the different opinions weren't also right. There's no correct answer for something like this.

It's funny tho. After all the breaks people have given me, what made me think I should cut someone else who did me no real harm? Getting a little high on my horse, I think.

Berrybean

I dunno. Maybe it would be a slap to you if it was the other way round, because you've invested a lot of yourself in this and it's obviously important to you. Quite possibly the level of input she's been prepared to give the project is an accurate marker of her interest in it. Some people struggle to say no (I've def been that person in the past) and agree to things that afterwards they hope will go away if they just ignore it. Like someone who wants to split up from a boyfriend or sponsor, but doesn't have the guts, so just makes themselves impossible to work with in the hope they'll force the other person to do the dumping. Perhaps she wanted to be dumped.

Do you need to decide now? Maybe let that resentment fully pass first. Sometimes the resentment prayer works best after a number of applications and then things seem completely clear.

puffy

I'm all good bunny! Proud of you.

Gottalife

My sponsor would have sent me off to pray about this. "God, please send me the right thought or action for this situation"

When the inspiration comes, I check it against the four absolutes:
Is it honest, is it loving, is it pure, is it unselfish. If it passes those four, there's a good chance it's Gods will and not mine.

Courage, I thought your consideration of the issue and your eventual conclusion would have passed the test.