I left academia back in 2013, after completing my PhD. By chance, I've recently stumbled across a paper, published by my former lab group, whose central premise is rooted in experimental work I conducted.
I'm left with a vague feeling of injustice, but I'm not sure a) if any wrong has actually been committed, or b) what recourse I can seek.
Some notes:
- The first author was a peer whilst we were both pursuing our doctorates.
- The last author was our mutual supervisor and head of the lab group.
- Their paper was published in 2017, four years after I passed my viva.
- The findings are presented as novel (and, indeed, they were).
Whilst the paper goes further than my experimental work, I would argue that the central premise was my discovery. Yet, despite this, my name only appears when my other papers are cited - I am not listed as an author, nor is my role in the initial discovery acknowledged.
Am I being childish to feel annoyed by this? Or, on the other hand, could this be considered a form of plagiarism?
Finally, what action should I take? Write an awkward email to my former supervisor? Or the first author? Or the university or journal? Or just let sleeping dogs lie?