Research opportunities / getting published

[IlyaR]

Hey guys. I'm taking the next year to build up my extracurricular. I'll be doing patient care in a hospital, getting EMT certified by Jan and will volunteer in that as well. I would really like to do research, but have no idea where to start. I've already graduated, so I'm not sure where to turn to. Also, typically, how long does getting published take? I'm quite ignorant on this matter as you can see.

Thank you!

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[wuhsabee]

Hey guys. I'm taking the next year to build up my extracurricular. I'll be doing patient care in a hospital, getting EMT certified by Jan and will volunteer in that as well. I would really like to do research, but have no idea where to start. I've already graduated, so I'm not sure where to turn to. Also, typically, how long does getting published take? I'm quite ignorant on this matter as you can see.

Thank you!

It is best to not go into research with expectations of a publication because you will probably be disappointed.

That being said, possibility of a publication depends on the productivity of the lab, YOUR productivity in the lab, type of projects working on, the type of journal you are submitting the manuscript to, and even down to whatever the PI feels like. This can range from months even to a couple of years!! In order to clarify the matter, you can ask the PI of the lab of interest the chances of a student at your level obtaining a publication (This might make you look like a tool, though...).

For example, for a summer research program, my PI straight up told me on the first day that a publication was probably not possible given that I was only going to be there for a couple of weeks and the project they have been working for was *only* about ten years in the making....at most, my work at the summer could have only contributed to a SENTENCE on the manuscript.

BTW in order to obtain a research assistant position, you can look for careers listing under "research assistant" on the website of medical schools in your area, or just any other research institutions that you know of. You usually DO need to have at least 1 year of said experience if you only have Bachelor's degree. If you are unable to find a paid position, I would ask to "volunteer" at a certain lab and ask for the possibility of hiring later on. Be sure to communicate openly with the PI and ask for them their expectations of you, as well as your goals (poster, publication, etc) and contributions to the lab.

Good luck!

 

[NickNaylor]

I agree with what was mentioned above. In all likelihood, a research experience will not result in a publication. This doesn't mean that the experience isn't valuable or otherwise not worth mentioning. Admissions committees are aware of the factors that go into publishing and understand that a fair amount of good luck and advantageous timing (in addition to hard work) are involved.

Obviously publishing is ideal, but more than that is having the opportunity to participate in the research process in a meaningful way. By this I mean not just performing manual labor in the lab but having the ability to understand the problem being explored, generate possible explanations or reasons for this "problem," perform experiments, and interpret data. These are the types of things that you will be asked about in your interviews. Having a publication but being unable to explain the scientific problem and what the publication shows is useless. On other other hand, having no publication but being able to intelligently explain to someone not in the field what your work was about is impressive.

Also as mentioned above, if you want to do research full-time then you might consider looking for research assistant positions. These positions tend to be focused more on the "scut work" of the lab, but with enough experience and demonstrated competency many PIs will allow assistants to have their own projects in addition to their other responsibilities.

Good luck.

 

[ridethecliche]

Addressing your points below:

1) Want to do research but don't know where to start:
Are there people who do research at the hospital you're working? Start by looking up departments you're interested in and emailing doctors. You'll send TONS of emails, but someone will bite.

2) How long does publishing take?
Depends. Prospective trials are not going to be done in one year, but it's reasonable to take a retrospective trial (especially secondary use of data) into a submittable manuscript in a year. I've worked on 2 manuscripts with fellows that were done in less than a year. One needed data collected, but the other already had a patient list (secondary use).
I'm assuming this is for clinical research.

 

[NickNaylor]

Addressing your points below:

1) Want to do research but don't know where to start:
Are there people who do research at the hospital you're working? Start by looking up departments you're interested in and emailing doctors. You'll send TONS of emails, but someone will bite.

2) How long does publishing take?
Depends. Prospective trials are not going to be done in one year, but it's reasonable to take a retrospective trial (especially secondary use of data) into a submittable manuscript in a year. I've worked on 2 manuscripts with fellows that were done in less than a year. One needed data collected, but the other already had a patient list (secondary use).
I'm assuming this is for clinical research.

You make a good point that clinical projects are typically less time-intensive and more amenable to "quick" publication. If racking up pubs is important to you, OP, then try and get involved with clinical rather than basic science work. I think basic science pubs are generally perceived to be more "impressive," however they take place over the course of years rather than months, and in that timeframe you're unlikely to complete a project unless you're coming on board towards the end.

 

[IlyaR]

Thanks guys!

 

[ridethecliche]

You make a good point that clinical projects are typically less time-intensive and more amenable to "quick" publication. If racking up pubs is important to you, OP, then try and get involved with clinical rather than basic science work. I think basic science pubs are generally perceived to be more "impressive," however they take place over the course of years rather than months, and in that timeframe you're unlikely to complete a project unless you're coming on board towards the end.

Depends, what if you're published in a hard hitting journal for a clinical trial?

In general, a basic science pub is a bigger deal than a retrospective study. Granted without argument!

 

[NickNaylor]

Depends, what if you're published in a hard hitting journal for a clinical trial?

In general, a basic science pub is a bigger deal than a retrospective study. Granted without argument!

That's true, but I'm finding it hard to believe a hard-hitting trial in NEJM would be published in less than a year.

 

[phunky]

.

 

[ridethecliche]

That's true, but I'm finding it hard to believe a hard-hitting trial in NEJM would be published in less than a year.

I already said clinical trials/RCT's wouldn't work in a year. I also don't see big basic science pubs being completed in a year.

Your move Naylor.


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[IlyaR]

Got the ball rollin', contacted Downstate and sent in my information. Hopefully will have a spot filled by the Fall

 

[DesertSeaDiver]

I was in a similar position almost a year and a half ago as OP. I was interested in research with the foolish idea I could be published rather quickly. A year later of working full time (40+ per week) and I have a lot of data but am still months away from submitting a paper to be published.

 

[hoihaie]

basic science/translational science bench research takes forever to get published... my project has been going on for 2-3 years now, and we just finally put together the manuscript for publication.

 

[mysdnhandle]

Don't try to publish. A lot is out of your control. Join a lab by all means but don't prioritize it over your class work or your life. At the end of the day you will put 'research' on your AMCAS. That's good enough for a lot of people, at least these days, thank god. Come residency, you may have to publish to join your specialty.