According to the American Psychological Association, when a graduate student submits his or her thesis or dissertation for publication jointly with the major professor, the first author should be:. a. the student or the one who developed the idea for the study. b. the major professor whoever submits the study for publication.

a.

Explanation:

Based on the information provided within the question it can be said that in this situation the first author is always the student or the one who developed the idea for the study. That is because they are the ones that are supposed to have come up with the idea and designed the entire theory themselves, and only used the professor as a consultant.