Do undergrad publications matter when applying for residency?

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Avicenna

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And do they matter equally or less than those made during med school?

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I would do a search for this topic because it's come up before. My understanding is that they matter, but less. They also aren't likely to be in your field of interest (but hey, they may be)
 
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Publications are permanent; they should have equal weight in the process, except for what Trino said that they are unlikely to be related to your field of interest. But from what I understand that isn't necessary.
 
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What "matters" is how much you contributed to the publication and which journal it was published in. If you are random middle author in a low impact journal then that's not a meaningful publication no matter your stage of training. Being first or second author in a medium impact journal or any kind of author on a paper in a high impact journal (nature, nejm, etc) is a meaningful achievement and one that would be more impressive if you were to achieve it while in undergrad.
 
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Yeah they definitely matter. Period. I didn't have any because I didn't do any science stuff in undergrad, but I would have definitely listed them and I'm sure they would have added to my application.

That said, they are not a substitute for research in medical school. I think this is the key point that most people are getting at. Having pubs from undergrad will not make up for having zero pubs during medical school. Yes, this applies even if you have really awesome pubs from undergrad. No matter how great they are, it doesn't bode well for your productivity as a resident if you clearly had experience getting things published and then blew off research for 4 years (relatively easy with lots of free time years compared to residency). Don't be that person.
 
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They matter, especially if...
-they are high(er) profile journals
-you ate the first author
-you have also been involved with research during med school
-the interviewer knows nothing about your field of research.

Of course, satisfying the last point means that your research wasn't relevant to the program to begin with. But it does show capacity and willingness to research!
 
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Yeah they definitely matter. Period. I didn't have any because I didn't do any science stuff in undergrad, but I would have definitely listed them and I'm sure they would have added to my application.

That said, they are not a substitute for research in medical school. I think this is the key point that most people are getting at. Having pubs from undergrad will not make up for having zero pubs during medical school. Yes, this applies even if you have really awesome pubs from undergrad. No matter how great they are, it doesn't bode well for your productivity as a resident if you clearly had experience getting things published and then blew off research for 4 years (relatively easy with lots of free time years compared to residency). Don't be that person.

This is spot on. Your publishing record is yours forever. But the point is to convince someone looking at it that you are actively involved and have potential to do good research in the future. Impressive pubs aren't that convincing if it looks like you aren't interested in research anymore. If you haven't done any research in 4 years, that says you lost interest in research or were just trying to check a box.
 
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They matter, especially if...
-they are high(er) profile journals
-you ate the first author
-you have also been involved with research during med school
-the interviewer knows nothing about your field of research.

Of course, satisfying the last point means that your research wasn't relevant to the program to begin with. But it does show capacity and willingness to research!

Very good points. In terms of research not being relevant to the program, is that a problem? For example, would having undergrad and medical school research experience/publications in Neurology, but then switch to General Surgery make the applicant less competitive? In that example, would the student try to find time to do General Surgery research during 3rd/4th year? Thanks!
 
Some more competitive fields much prefer field-specific reserach (rad onc, derm, ophtho, ortho, ENT come to mind). Others consider any research a positive.

At the end of the day it will help. Depending on the field you apply to, how much it helps is variable.
 
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Sure they matter, but more recent pubs are weighed more highly.

Also I'm not sure how much it would matter if they weren't medically related outside of someone going, oh cool this person has been interested in research for quite some time yay.
 
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