Three Questions (and Responses)

Greetings again. I hope you’re doing well.

Recently, people have asked me three questions that many researchers might like answered. Here are brief versions of them. Responses follow each.

Question 1:  I earned my PhD at one institution, and now I work at another institution. If I submit a paper based on my PhD research, which institution should I list?

Response: When you submit a paper to a journal, you should list as your affiliation the institution where you did the research. If you now work elsewhere, also include a note stating your current affiliation.

Question 2: I’d like to write a paper about a patient I treated. To protect the patient’s privacy, is it enough to omit the patient’s name?

Response: Doing so usually isn’t enough. For example, if a patient’s age, occupation, and location are stated, people might be able to guess who the patient was. Normally, such information must be removed or the patient’s consent for publication must be obtained. A new guide on obtaining such consent for publication recently appeared.

Question 3: A mentee wants to acknowledge me in a paper. Is doing so acceptable? If so, how should my contribution be acknowledged?

Response: Yes, it’s acceptable—and desirable—to acknowledge a mentor’s help. The wording to use depends in part on the mentor’s contribution and the journal’s style. Often it's appropriate to say something like “I thank AuthorAID mentor [insert name] for guidance in revising this paper for publication."

Do you have questions on research communication? If so, feel free to email me or post a comment.

Until the next post—

Barbara