Is failing to be listed in the preferred author order on a publication considered research misconduct under federal policy?

Being left out of the preferred author order in a publication typically signals an authorship dispute rather than outright research misconduct according to federal policy. Research misconduct broadly covers actions such as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism—not disagreements over authorship order. Authorship disputes can arise due to differing interpretations of contributions among collaborators, but these disputes usually fall under institutional or ethical considerations rather than legal or federal misconduct categories. Such differences might require resolution through institutional processes but do not inherently imply wrongdoing in the context of research integrity or misconduct defined by federal regulations.