diff --git a/lib/member_builder.js b/lib/member_builder.js
index a16f039..783a9ab 100644
--- a/lib/member_builder.js
+++ b/lib/member_builder.js
@@ -39,14 +39,14 @@
  */
 exports.buildProp = function( members, meta, name, value, keywords )
 {
-    if ( keywords[ 'protected' ] )
-    {
-        members[ 'protected' ][ name ] = value;
-    }
-    else if ( keywords[ 'private' ] )
+    if ( keywords[ 'private' ] )
     {
         members[ 'private' ][ name ] = value;
     }
+    else if ( keywords[ 'protected' ] )
+    {
+        members[ 'protected' ][ name ] = value;
+    }
     else
     {
         // public keyword is the default, so explicitly specifying it is only