Dissertation partner being published but not me-same project and data

[dissertationhelp123]

Hi,

I am currently doing a masters and am completing my dissertation in collaboration with another student. It was a very extensive and time consuming project and we have collected all data together, with me probably collecting the majority. I have now found out that my supervisor has spoken to my dissertation partner about getting their dissertation published on several occasions, even giving a timeline and plan for later this year to get it submitted to journals. Not once has my supervisor mentioned anything of the sort to me.

Can this be published without my name on it even though it was a joint project? I'm so upset and feel like I have been completely pushed out and kept in the dark.

Thank you.

[Cabezona]

It can be published in their name and I think it's quite common unfortunately.

There's no reason you can't speak to the supervisor and ask why you're not included. I think that's the best course of action. Just a calm conversation as to why you weren't included and that you want to be.

[dissertationhelp123]

Thank you, I feared this may be the case. Will see what I can do

[Pota2]

Hang on- if it is jointly written and jointly collected, how precisely can it be published in just one person’s name without acknowledging the co-researcher? I don’t think that is possible. If you each write your own dissertation based on the jointly collected data, then fine (although I would expect some acknowledgement somewhere for the data gathering), but not if it is a co-authored project.

Also, when you say published, where precisely will it be published? In a journal? On the university website? In my field, it’s pretty rare for masters dissertations to be published.

[dissertationhelp123]

@Pota2 we are writing the dissertations separately, sorry if it was vague. The plans at the moment are for it to be published in a journal, of course it may not be accepted. It is a pretty new technique in the field so supervisor must think it has a chance of being published

[Pota2]

Okay. Maybe you need to ask the other student if you can co-author an article. In my experience, something written as a dissertation normally needs to be revised quite a bit anyway to make it suited for an academic journal. It’s unlikely that a good journal would just accept the other student’s work as is. Seems odd that your supervisor just singled out your colleague for publication as well, unless it was your colleague’s suggestion. Is s/he hoping to go on to a PhD or something?
If co-authoring is not an option, could you use the data for a different article in your own name?

[dissertationhelp123]

@Pota2 I think that is the part I'm struggling with most, that I feel I have been pushed aside and my supervisor has singled my partner out. We had all of our meetings together with the exception of the last couple whilst we are writing up, literally did everything together. My partner is wanting to go into research whereas I am wanting to go down a more clinical route so it may be due to that. It would still be nice to have been considered however as I've put just as much if not more effort in.

Thanks for your help, I think I'll have to speak to my supervisor.

[parietal]

if your data goes in, you should at least be a middle author on the final paper - there is no cost to the other student or supervisor in adding you as middle author, and it is a useful credit for your work.