Is it legal for a professor to add your name to a paper without consent?

[seycyrus]

This is a puzzling thread! Evidently PF's most active publishers mostly lurk.

Such conflicts of interest and similar cases are are not uncommon in the publishing world.

Contact the publication. They will tell you how to proceed. They probably even have published guidleines to handle such situations.

 

[uman]

I have the best analogy:

It's like if someone owed you $500, and broke into your house to give it to you. Clearly you deserved to have the $500, but he went about it in absolutely the wrong way.

In this case, giving back the $500 would NOT solve anything, and neither would taking your name off the paper... why not let it stay (I'm not an academic, but most people here seem to agree that you deserve for it to be there), but talk to the professor about his mistake and ask that he apologize/promise not to repeat it?

 

[Pythagorean]

I think anyone that wants their name on a paper for collecting data is academically suspect.

Collecting data right is absolutely noteworthy. Not only does it take a bit of competence, it also takes your genuine interest in doing it as accurately and correctly as you can (which can be very stressful depending on the method of data collection).

If someone feel's guilty about being given credit for data collection, I'd be more suspect that they did it with complacency and aren't sure of their accuracy...

But only because this is such an odd thing to throw a fit about.

 

[WhoWee]

To be clear, I'm not getting a PhD, and I'm not trying to become a professor. I'm not here to publish as many papers as I can. The only thing I did was to collect data for a friend of mine because he asked me for my help. I agreed to collect the data for him. I find out more than half way into the deal that I'm supposed to be a co author and its too late.

I do not deserve to have my name on a paper for collecting data. What a joke. If I'm putting my name on any papers its going to be because I helped with some form of analysis.

My question still stands though: What right does an advisor have to sign your name to obligations you were not made aware of.

Perhaps he feels obligated to give you credit...draft a release of obligation and thank him. If this doesn't resolve the problem...have an attorney send a certified letter explaining the seriousness of the situation.

 

[vanesch]

Collecting data right is absolutely noteworthy. Not only does it take a bit of competence, it also takes your genuine interest in doing it as accurately and correctly as you can (which can be very stressful depending on the method of data collection).

If someone feel's guilty about being given credit for data collection, I'd be more suspect that they did it with complacency and aren't sure of their accuracy...

But only because this is such an odd thing to throw a fit about.

I don't think Cyrus is somehow feeling "guilty" for not "deserving" to be on the paper, but is rather pissed because he considers his name to be his "property" and nobody is entitled to mention it somewhere without his consent. Although strictly speaking, that's correct, I do find it a somewhat prima donna attitude in this particular case, where the use of his name is not in any way harmful (or at least, the one using it had absolutely no intention to harm, and even thought in doing him a favor).

 

[Vanadium 50]

Vanesch, I tend to agree with you. It doesn't help that Cyrus' position has shifted from having done nothing:

Because I didn't contribute to it. Not one thing. None.

to having not done enough:

The only thing I did was to collect data

 

[Cyrus]

I don't think Cyrus is somehow feeling "guilty" for not "deserving" to be on the paper, but is rather pissed because he considers his name to be his "property" and nobody is entitled to mention it somewhere without his consent. Although strictly speaking, that's correct, I do find it a somewhat prima donna attitude in this particular case, where the use of his name is not in any way harmful (or at least, the one using it had absolutely no intention to harm, and even thought in doing him a favor).

I'm a bit confused as to why you would say I'm having a prima donna attitude here. I'd like to point out that under no circumstances, should one EVER allow the use of their name by others without explicit permission. Even if it's for something good.

In the real world, when you run a business or purchase a home, or have bills, etc, you DO NOT allow your name to be used in documents that obligate you to something without your permission. Saying 'oh it was good intentions you're being a prima donna', just comes off as ignorant. I don't mean that in any disrespectful way vanesch, as I love you dearly , but I REALLY don't think what you said is good advice. Don't let people use your name without your permission. Ever. Not with good intentions. Not with bad intentions.

This is not how you do business (and I help run a small family business, so I know).

 

[Bystander]

I'm a bit confused as to why you would say I'm having a prima donna attitude here. I'd like to point out that under no circumstances, should one EVER allow the use of their name by others without explicit permission. Even if it's for something good. (snip)

"Convention" in this country is that the permission is explicit in your agreement to do the work --- lesson for you for later in life --- you don't want your name used, you state it up front to the charity cases you pick up.

 

[Cyrus]

"Convention" in this country is that the permission is explicit in your agreement to do the work --- lesson for you for later in life --- you don't want your name used, you state it up front to the charity cases you pick up.

Thanks for that piece of information!

 

[turbo]

It may actually be department policy to credit all students who contributed to a project. The prof may not have had any real choice in the matter.

 

[turbo]

Thanks for that piece of information!

I believe that Bystander's information is not only correct, but is codified under "implied consent" laws in most states.

 

[uman]

If someone signed your name to a contract, would the best course of action be to declare the contract null and void?

No, not if you would have signed your name to it anyway given the chance.

My point remains: make the guy apologize, but why try to get your name taken off the paper?