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Academic English & Research vocabulary · Peer Review and Publishing

First author

Meaning in academic english & research, with examples

nounCommon term

In academic english & research, first author means: The person whose name appears first in a paper's author list, usually the one who did most of the work and wrote the first draft.

In Turkish: birinci yazar, ilk yazar, birinci isim

How it is used

Conventions differ by field. In the life sciences, the first author usually did the main work and the last author leads the lab; in mathematics and economics, names are often in alphabetical order. Doctoral students are often expected to publish as first author.

Example sentences

  1. She is first author on two papers and co-author on five.

  2. We agreed at the start that the PhD student would be first author.

Common collocations

  • first-author publication
  • first-authored paper
  • shared first authorship
  • last author
  • co-authorOne of two or more people who write a paper or book together and share responsibility for its content; also used as a verb.
  • corresponding authorThe author who handles communication with the journal during submission and review, and whose contact details appear on the published article for readers' questions.
  • manuscriptThe text of an article or book that an author submits to a journal or publisher before it is accepted and published.
  • PhDDoctor of Philosophy: the highest university research degree, awarded after several years of original research and a thesis.

More terms: Peer Review and Publishing

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