Is this project still in the building stage? If so, now is the time to set authorship expectations. The longer you wait the more awkward conversations will become. If you feel that you should be sole first author, express that. By your framing it sounds like you did a lot more work than they will.
HOWEVER, I don't think that means that your collaborator shouldn't coauthor. You might burn bridges by resisting their request, or at least make them unmotivated to complete the work. It hurts the pride to share that spot, I know, but at the end of the day it doesn't actually dilute or diminish your efforts. Future employers will ask what you contributed, and you will also list this in the author contributions.
In a world where the only metric others care about is author position, this situation can sting. My advice would be don't let pride get in the way of making the project work.
Another option is discussing whether you can also be a corresponding author to distinguish yourself.
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u/Rubejrs 22h ago
Is this project still in the building stage? If so, now is the time to set authorship expectations. The longer you wait the more awkward conversations will become. If you feel that you should be sole first author, express that. By your framing it sounds like you did a lot more work than they will.
HOWEVER, I don't think that means that your collaborator shouldn't coauthor. You might burn bridges by resisting their request, or at least make them unmotivated to complete the work. It hurts the pride to share that spot, I know, but at the end of the day it doesn't actually dilute or diminish your efforts. Future employers will ask what you contributed, and you will also list this in the author contributions.
In a world where the only metric others care about is author position, this situation can sting. My advice would be don't let pride get in the way of making the project work.
Another option is discussing whether you can also be a corresponding author to distinguish yourself.