Though there is a myth that being first author proves ones research skills being the lead author, yet in my opinion, when there is a team research everyone has contributed to the extent possible and practically everyone may be first author. However to the authors in sequence, it has to be started and someone has to be lead author. Though UGC also put extra weight/marks on first author which sometimes may not be logical as the scholar who put 90% efforts may have to satisfy himself being the second author due to a feeling of reverence for the supervisor while designating him as the first author.  

But system has developed that being first author is more important. None the less more important is having knowledge/mastery/expertise on the theme as many a times even names are added in the authors of the papers for other academic reasons as well.  

Though there is a myth that being first author proves ones research skills being the lead author, yet in my opinion, when there is a team research everyone has contributed to the extent possible and practically everyone may be first author. However to the authors in sequence, it has to be started and someone has to be lead author. Though UGC also put extra weight/marks on first author which sometimes may not be logical as the scholar who put 90% efforts may have to satisfy himself being the second author due to a feeling of reverence for the supervisor while designating him as the first author.  

But system has developed that being first author is more important. None the less more important is having knowledge/mastery/expertise on the theme as many a times even names are added in the authors of the papers for other academic reasons as well.  

First author is usually considered as main architect of the paper and usually corresponding author. Main contributor or corresponding author is important by two ways:

1. He/she has contributed substantially in developing the research paper.

2. He/she shall be in a position to address comments from the reviewers by consulting other authors.

First author as corresponding author is responsible to comply review comments and also journal editor. Many a times the main contributor of a paper wish to be second author also as a mark of gratitude to supervisor. But the supervisor should be generous or should have the moral courage to offer the first authorship to the   main contributor.

Academic authorship standards vary widely across disciplines. In many academic subjects, including the natural sciences, computer science and electrical engineering, the first author of a research article is typically the person who carried out the research, wrote and edited the paper.

The fist author is typically the person who carried out the research, wrote and edited the paper.

The fist author

• assumes responsibility for the publication,
• makes sure that the data are accurate,
• makes sure that all authors have given their approval to the final draft

The importance of being a first author is emphasized when it comes to recognition and benefits. When monetary incentives and career points are attached to publications, first authorship matters most.

Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

Please, see the following links for more details:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Difference_between_Corresponding_author_and_First_author_and_what_are_all_their_responsibilities

http://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/2467/what-does-first-authorship-really-mean

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1769438/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2544445/

The first author is usually the person who has performed the central experiments of the project. Often, this individual is also the person who has prepared the first draft of the manuscript. The lead author is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all other authors meet the requirements for authorship as well as ensuring the integrity of the work itself. The lead author will usually serve as the corresponding author.

I generally  pass on the first  authorship to my juniors so that they take active  interest and it also fulfils the need for their  career  build  up. .

When writing joint papers, the order of authorship is not that relevant. What is important then is the confirmation of a joint work.

Dear @Sulfia, let me bring to your attention some fine related threads about first author and similar issues.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Do_you_think_that_the_contribution_of_the_first_author_of_a_scientific_paper_should_be_evaluated_more_than_coauthors_contributions

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Should_the_first_author_on_a_paper_receive_more_credit_than_the_co-authors

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_do_people_decide_upon_first_second_last_and_corresponding_author

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Does_the_order_of_authors_in_an_article_follow_certain_guidelines

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Difference_between_Corresponding_author_and_First_author_and_what_are_all_their_responsibilities

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_justifies_being_first_author_on_a_coauthored_academic_paper

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Who_would_be_the_author_of_an_article_in_a_journal_the_corresponding_author_or_the_first_author_name

Dear Ljubomir Jacić,

Excellent! Assembled all questions and resources at one place. You actually remember all such questions.

Appreciable!

First author is the most sought-after position. This in not surprising given the convention of referring to studies by the first named author, e.g. 'Smith et al. r Smith  have demonstrated that'.

The first author is therefore generally held to have made the greatest contribution to research.

See Albert, T., & Wager, E. (2010). How to handle authorship disputes: a guide for new researchers for further info.

Brenda has a good point. Hiring and promotion committees do give extra weight to first-author articles.  It is same at our university.

Middle-author publications count for promotion, but they don’t count as much as first author publications. 

Simply put, 'first authorship' can boost the chance of landing a job and a promotion. However, 'second authorship' on a top journal might be more useful than a 'first authorship' on a mediocre journal.

It is true that a first author may get more benefits than the other contributors but s/he is expected to hold more responsibility if there is something wrong in the published research paper. I have seen research papers in my field with some errors & most of the blame was "poured" on the first author.

First authored articles in top journals really helps the author in promotion. Promotion committee generally give the highest points to high impact factor first authored articles.

The more the number of authors, the less points  is given!

When many scientists work together, determining authorship isn't always easy. Here are some tips for settling the line-up.

-- Make sure that you choose collaborators with whom you can work well.

-- Discuss authorship early, and keep doing so often as a project evolves. Put it in writing.

-- When there are disputes, first try to talk it out amicably and understand the other person's point of view. For example, try to work out how the idea first came about.

-- If you must approach your supervisor about an authorship decision that you don't like, keep the tone inquisitive, not accusatory. Explain that you want to understand how authorship was decided.

-- If a contributor's authorship is in question, it can help to consider what the paper would have looked like without their efforts, and whether someone else could have made the same contribution.

-- Familiarize yourself with your institution's or journal's authorship guidelines, or those of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Use them to back up your case.

-- Be prepared to compromise or share credit.

-- If you can't agree among yourselves, engage a supervisor, trusted colleagues or an ombudsman to investigate the matter and make a recommendation. A.D.

http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7417-591a

By now, we generally agree that 'first authorship' is important. But, there is a situation: once in awhile, we will see 'co-first authors' on a paper, including those from good journals. 'Co-first authors' means that there are at least two first-authors who 'contribute to the paper equally'. What would you think about that? Will you really think that they contribute equally?

The increasing tendency across scientific disciplines to write multiauthored papers makes the issue of the sequence of contributors' names a major topic both in terms of reflecting actual contributions and in a posteriori assessments by evaluation committees. Traditionally, the first author contributes most and also receives most of the credit, whereas the position of subsequent authors is usually decided by contribution, alphabetical order, or reverse seniority. Ranking the first or second author in a two-author paper is straightforward, but the meaning of position becomes increasingly arbitrary as the number of authors increases beyond two. Criteria for authorship have been discussed at length, because of the inflationary increase in the number of authors on papers submitted to biomedical journals and the practice of “gift” authorship, but a simple way to determine credit associated with the sequence of authors' names is still missing (http://www.councilscienceeditors.org).

See table for distribution.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1769438/

That order matters greatly for scientists in academia, especially scientists who aren't yet established in independent careers.

Publication records weigh heavily in hiring, funding, and promotion decisions, and departments, hiring managers, and personnel committees want to know how, and how much, a candidate contributed to a collaborative project. Often, all they have to go on is their position in the author list.

Thnxs to all

One study demonstrates that:

1) labeling an author as corresponding author increased the author’s credit for contributions to the study;

2) beyond the first author’s contribution to design, conduct of the study, and writing the paper, respondents appear to have little idea of the roles of any author; and

3) respondents endorse manuscript writing and the amount of work done on the study as legitimate criteria for designating authorship order.

http://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2004/01000/Interpreting_Authorship_Order_and_Corresponding.22.aspx

Difference in credibility

Yes, The first author may get more benefits than the other contributors,  landing a job and a promotion...

The  order matters greatly for scientists in both academia and industry,

• In many universities, one needs first-authored articles to get promotion for associate and full professor.
• First authored articles are important for young scientists who aren't yet established in independent careers
• In industry, publication records weigh heavily in hiring  decisions. Hiring managers  take into account  their position in the author list.

Dear Fateh,

In India, according to Academic Performance Index (API) for University teachers, 60% weight is given to the first author and 40% equally to rest of the authors.

 Yes, Subhash

This is important, especially for young scientists

More and more scientific Journals have paid more attentions to an author's contribution in a paper. I just received an email (09/30/2015) from the BioMed Central (a pretty good Scientific Journal Publisher). They are going to reward the authors "Mozilla Open Badges" according to the 14 roles of author contribution 'taxonomy'.

This was what they said in the email:

"Credit where credit’s due: badges for author contributorship

In partnership with Mozilla Science Lab, ORCiD, and PLoS, we’re using Mozilla Open Badges* to provide a standardized digital credential for the work done by each author. Badge types and descriptions are based on the 14-role** author contribution ‘taxonomy’ being developed by the Welcome Trust, Digital Science and others. For more information about the project, check out our Roadmap on GitHub. Or check out our journal GigaScience to see the badges live in action!".

*See attached second picture for "Mozilla Open Badge" examples.

**14-role author contribution ‘taxonomy’: 

http://credit.casrai.org/proposed-taxonomy/?utm_campaign=BMC21613C2&utm_medium=BMCemail&utm_source=Teradata

Order of Authorship

Authorship guidelines from Harvard university

 primary author should assure that all authors meet basic standards for authorship and should prepare a concise, written description of their contributions to the work, which has been approved by all authors. This record should remain with the sponsoring department.

Many different ways of determining order of authorship exist across disciplines, research groups, and countries. Examples of authorship policies include descending order of contribution, placing the person who took the lead in writing the manuscript or doing the research first and the most experienced contributor last, and alphabetical or random order. While the significance of a particular order may be understood in a given setting, order of authorship has no generally agreed upon meaning.

Dear Fateh,

Not only for young scientists; it is important even for to become senior professor in India.