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[mightymouse]

Thanks to the OP for posting - if it weren't so aggravating, it would be a comedy!  and to anthroid for letting us know from experience as chair that it is ok to sit on e-mails that put you in the red zone.  This thread has been so helpful to me, as I am experiencing frustration with a collaborator that relies heavily on my ability to generate data, but is very demanding and gives very little in return.  Fortunately, the data are very interesting, so I am trying to keep my eye on the prize of publication, but I don't know if I am going to be able to stomach continuing the collaboration after this - and the thought of the confrontation in trying to draw the line (because we know manuscript preparation and responses tend to drag on forever)  makes me fear that I am forever enmeshed in this uncomfortable role.

[ipse_dixit]

Update:

So yesterday my colleague and I get an email from the conference that published our first co-authored paper in its proceedings (which only had to be sent in and then cut to fit the publication thereafter). It seems the peer-reviewed journal associated with that conference wants to take a look at the full version of the paper. The deadline is the end of June, so there's plenty of time to determine what to do. But the paper really should have revisions before it goes out. I was unhappy when it went out without them before; it really should have a cold hard look before it goes out again.

My initial urge was to say, OK, colleague, YOU take this on, take my name off the paper, it's all yours, I hereby relinquish any benefit from and responsibility for it. My hubby suggested that my colleague would never go for it because she knows she'd never do it herself -- instead, she'd say, Oh, I could never take you off, you've done so much work, I'll take care of it, yada yada...then wait until the deadline and do nothing in hopes that I'd pick up the slack (which I probably would, feeling guilty and not wanting to waste a publication opportunity, even at what I perceive to be a third-rate journal).

What would you all do?

Oh, and she and Monsieur were at an end-of-year function, at which he approached me, gave me a hug (which I pulled out of as quickly as was nominally polite) and said, "Thanks for stepping up to the plate." My response was a noncommittal Mmhmm.

[pink_]

I don't suppose you can take her off instead. . .

ugh.
What a headache.

[jammer]

Thanks for stepping up to the plate?

You've got to be kidding.  He's a piece of work.  It sounds like you colleague has more to worry about then not getting tenure.  However, you are the soul of discretion and valour.  I don't know if I would have been able to keep a straight face at that one.

Practically speaking, I'm with you.  I can talk all kinds of tough because this is happening to you :).  I'd also probably just do the work (as you get credit too) and then no more with this chyck.  In a kind of weird way, this is probably good.  Even in you have to do the majority of the work for both projects (or even give the appearance of doing it), then Freakshow can't blame this on you.  Interesting:  I'm actually starting to feel sorry for the wife.

[prof_mom]

This guy has a serious case of *!*

You should be practical. Do not give up a chance to have a publication while on the tenure track. At the same time, you want to get this collaboration over. Tell the colleague she needs to do a certain number of things and give her a deadline that is 2 weeks before the paper is due. This gives you enough time to do it if she does not.

Tell her that if she does not do it, you will do it and will take her name off the journal version of the paper. I just did this with a graduate student who was not pulling his weight. He is on the conference paper, but not on the journal article. I made it clear that if he did not do a variety of things by a deadline, he would be removed from the journal article. He did not do them, so he is off.

If she does them, then she is helping you get done what needs to be done. Focus on your own tenure bid. Show yourself to be a good team player. Get the publication out of it if you can and walk away.

Good luck!

[ipse_dixit]

You should be practical. Do not give up a chance to have a publication while on the tenure track. At the same time, you want to get this collaboration over. Tell the colleague she needs to do a certain number of things and give her a deadline that is 2 weeks before the paper is due. This gives you enough time to do it if she does not.

Tell her that if she does not do it, you will do it and will take her name off the journal version of the paper. I just did this with a graduate student who was not pulling his weight. He is on the conference paper, but not on the journal article. I made it clear that if he did not do a variety of things by a deadline, he would be removed from the journal article. He did not do them, so he is off.

If she does them, then she is helping you get done what needs to be done. Focus on your own tenure bid. Show yourself to be a good team player. Get the publication out of it if you can and walk away.

Prof_mom, that is really a perfect solution. I think I am so tied up in emotion over this whole debacle that my mind isn't functioning rationally. The revisions should only take a week, as it's mostly editing and maybe a bit of a literature update. I will assign her relevant tasks. If she falls through, game's over and the authorship's mine.

He *is* a piece of work. My senior colleague confidante called him boorish.

[ipse_dixit]

A very fast update:

My colleague emailed me and said she was going to cover the additional request before I had a chance to email her with Prof_mom's list of things to do (which was in process but incomplete). I am still going to watch to be sure the deadline is hit, but I am prepared to pick up any slack she leaves. I cannot WAIT until this collaboration finally comes to an end.

Keeping fingers crossed that she comes through...

[iomhaigh]

You know, after following this nightmare, I have to say that I do not know how those of you in fields where people collaborate on papers do it.  In my world, collaboration has a built-in deadline known as "opening night" (or it does for most people....).  I cannot conceive of the chicanery extending for years because of the slow plodding nature of academic publishing. 

No substantive help -- but lots of sympathy. 

[poiuy]

Ipse:  not sure if this is too late, but if you have not already done so,
follow Prof_Mom's suggestion of communicating a deadline to your
'colleague'.  That is, "if x,y,z is not done by such a date, then your name
goes off the paper".  Otherwise it may be the same story again of
her missing a deadline and you picking up the slack....

[athena1]

Ipse:  not sure if this is too late, but if you have not already done so,
follow Prof_Mom's suggestion of communicating a deadline to your
'colleague'.  That is, "if x,y,z is not done by such a date, then your name
goes off the paper".  Otherwise it may be the same story again of
her missing a deadline and you picking up the slack....

Ditto. This is your paper. I wouldn't let her take it b/c at the last minute, it would be difficult to take her name off.

[chigagolake]

May have missed this but can't you also block the colleague's wife from your email. I would have done that immediately. That way her messages will never reach you and hopefully she will leave you alone.