By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: How do I tell my chair I don’t want her to coauthor an article from my dissertation?

— Ungrateful?

A: This is another sensitive topic, first cousin to last month’s on your chair suggesting (dictating) you dissertation topic.

As your defense winds down, you’re flushed with relief and pride that you got through the PowerPoint without a storm of committee interruptions or zoom technical tantrums. After the approving nods and smiles, your chair may say, “Your dissertation is so important! It deserves publication as an article!” You blush, and they can see your red cheeks on the screen. Then you hear the chair’s words, both flattering and ominous: “Let’s coauthor it.”