Writing a paper with my MS advisor; Do I tell my PhD advisor?

[wildviolet]

Hi all!

I completed my MS thesis last summer and presented the results at a poster session at a mid-level conference in my field this past January. Now my MS advisor wants me to turn it into a paper and submit it to a mid-level journal. We didn't discuss authorship, but I assume she will be second author. So even though she said writing this paper was entirely up to me, of course she will get something out of it. I haven't written the paper yet but I figure why not?

Now I am just starting a PhD program at a new university with a new advisor. Do I tell my PhD advisor? As in, by the way I have this paper that I'm going to submit to this journal based on my thesis work with Professor X? I guess part of my dilemma is that I'm now at a top research university working with a top researcher and I'm submitting to a mid-level journal. My MS was completed at a large local state university that does not award PhDs.

Am I making too much of this? Honest responses are always appreciated.

Edited August 24, 2012 by wildviolet

[TakeruK]

It's very normal for people to be working on publishing work from a previous job while working on a new one. For almost every paper I've been on, the work on the paper itself was done after I left the position (and was working somewhere else). However I should note that I wasn't the first author on any of these, so the level of commitment required was much lower. But, when I was working in one position, a newly hired permanent researcher was working on publishing her MSc work in a completely different field.

When I was doing my MSc, I was still doing some work from my BSc thesis. In fact, even a year after my MSc started, I was still presenting my BSc work (including work that I added to while at my MSc school). When the paper was finally published, I had two affiliations listed (both old and new schools) since I had used resources at both schools. Of course, when I started my MSc program, I let my supervisor know that I was still interested in working with my BSc supervisor to finish up an interesting project. He said it was fine as long as I keep up with my obligations to my MSc studies.

Now, I am about to start a PhD program (moving in a few days!!) and I'm making plans to continue working with my MSc supervisor and write a paper on my MSc work (hopefully my first first-author work) while in my PhD program. Again, I cleared it with the people at the new school and they also said to go for it -- as long as I don't overwork myself!

I'd think it's a good idea to let your new supervisor know what you're up to academically. If you think it would somehow hurt you, then I guess you don't have to. But, I think it will show your new supervisor that you are actively engaged in the field as well as showing that you are the type that finishes what you start. It seems like very few research project fit nicely in predefined boundaries (such as the term of a 2 year Masters degree) so I think it's normal.

However, if you are finding that your old project is taking away too much time from your current obligations, then maybe it's time to reassess the situation. After I finished officially working on one project (that was not in my field at all), I found that continuing to work on that paper took away a lot of time from my courses and my BSc thesis project (which was in my field). After discussing it with everyone involved, I decided that it was best to let someone else from the original group take over the project and I would move down to second author. I think this worked out for me since it was a paper published in a journal completely outside my field!

[mandarin.orange]

We didn't discuss authorship, but I assume she will be second author. So even though she said writing this paper was entirely up to me, of course she will get something out of it.

Before you start writing, I would clarify authorship order up-front with your old advisor, as well as target journal. I think it would be a good idea to do this via email, so you each have this to refer back to. Not to imply that your advisor might try to take all the credit or be nefarious in any way, Best to get it in writing. I find that having these pre-emptive discussions with my advisor about target journal, authors, etc. before even a single word is written - or lab analysis even started - is quite normal.

Don't feel obligated to tell your new advisor about the manuscript you're working on, though it's worth a mention if there's a natural way for it to come up in one of your meetings or conversation. In many fields (science especially) it's expected that your MS work should be innovative enough to be worthy of a publication. I published my M.S., and it was really helpful to navigate the whole process of submission, getting the reviews, revision, collaborating again with co-authors to fix revisions, going over proofs, etc. I have a labmate who's in his final year of PhD, about to go on the market, and frantic about the fact he hasn't submitted to journals or published yet. Don't end up in that position! Your new advisor should be supportive and impressed, so long as you can balance it with your current coursework and obligations.

In addition, it takes skill and some hard-core time management to balance multiple projects and mentally "switch gears," which you'll inevitably have to do with navigating a new campus, program, classes, and then work on this manuscript. If you want to pursue the professoriate, you'll have to do that constantly. Find out now if you have what it takes, or even enjoy this lifestyle.

Finally, manage your old advisor's expectations. If you end up not finishing the manuscript this semester - but do make some progress - cut yourself some slack.You're in a new program and trying to navigate that, as well as make a good impression with new faculty, as well as take care of your health. That's going to be time-consuming. Be honest about progress with your old advisor and any setbacks you may experience, but do show you're committed to moving forward. Use your breaks from school to work on it when you're free of short-term class deadlines.

Hope this helps!

[wildviolet]

Thanks, guys! That was really helpful advice. So I have a meeting with my advisor soon to talk about general stuff, and I think I'll bring this up casually, just mentioning that I'm working on a paper with my MS advisor.