Can I put Letters to the Editor as a peer-review publication if the journal explicitly states that it undergoes peer review?

[hiiiihi]

My mentor who is helping me get publications told me to start with Letters to the Editor. Of course, I am trying to get publications from other things like original research but I want the current accepted things I have to count for something in ERAS. Currently, I have 6 accepted letters to the editors and I am aware that these are usually not peer reviewed and I plan to put them like that for ERAS (non peer reviewed publication). However, I wanted to know if I can put one of them as peer-reviewed publication. The journal specifically states that my manuscript is undergoing "peer-review". I have attached a screenshot.

I don't want to misrepresent my work but if it counts as a peer reviewed pub, then I want to know so I can place it there as it is worth more than non peer reviewed publication. I'm sorry if similar questions have aleady been asked, I just want to be confident in what I put as I am aiming for ortho and I want as much publications as I can get. I am happy in whatever category it counts for because it still count as a publication but I just want as much things to help my app as possible without getting my app thrown out for misrepresentation. Thank you so much in advance for your help!

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[Med Ed]

The review process for letters exists to make sure they are publishing thoughtful commentary rather than the inane ramblings of some crank.

This is very different from the review process used for original manuscripts.

I personally find that bulking one's CV with letters to the editor is a cheap ruse, but to each their own.

 

[JBM16BYU]

Letters to the editor are often peer-reviewed, but the extent of the review depends on each individual journal. That said, if you look on Pubmed, letters are also indexed on Pubmed. Good journals still care about what is being published, so it’s not an automatic acceptance.

There are lots of different kinds of publications and each has their place. As a beginning researcher, case reports, case series, literature reviews (narrative or scoping), and letters to the editor are low hanging fruit. Especially in some areas of developing research and newer diagnoses, these are where things start. These often don’t require IRB approval or IRB will waive review.

Things like retrospective or prospective cohort studies are more time intensive and require IRB. These look better than the prior mentioned items. Systematic reviews with meta-analysis take quite a bit of time but can strengthen one’s portfolio. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) are often viewed as the best forms of publications but these are definitely harder to get into as a medical student, or even as a resident/fellow depending on the field.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

It also depends on the type of letter. Some journals have this as a mechanism in a similar manner to a research brief and may have not just opinions but actually have novel data. Several high impact journals publish "letters" with that intent.

 

[Med Ed]

It also depends on the type of letter. Some journals have this as a mechanism in a similar manner to a research brief and may have not just opinions but actually have novel data. Several high impact journals publish "letters" with that intent.

I believe that's how the opioid epidemic got started.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

I believe that's how the opioid epidemic got started.

Maybe. Even the highest impact factor journals don’t shy away from publishing garbage.

 

[hiiiihi]

Thank you everyone for responding! I will do other stuff like you guys said and maybe just not include the letters at all when the time comes

 

[GoSpursGo]

You can definitely include letters to the editor. However, usually they don’t publish many of those kinds of articles unless you’re a luminary in the field (as otherwise, most of the time nobody cares what you have to say… 🙂 )

 

[hiiiihi]

You can definitely include letters to the editor. However, usually they don’t publish many of those kinds of articles unless you’re a luminary in the field (as otherwise, most of the time nobody cares what you have to say… 🙂 )

Thank man!! Maybe I got really lucky then lol. I just picked journal from the Wiley journal search that were pubmed indexed

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Being in PubMed doesn't mean much, sadly. Cureus is in Pubmed. And they publish anything if you pay them.