Does when you actually write/publish research matter?

[HybridEarth]

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Hey guys,

First post on allo. I will be an M1 this upcoming Fall, and I look forward to continuing research throughout my career. I understand the more competitive specialties often require several publications for matching into a good program, and that many students perform the research during med school or in between years. I am currently in a gap year performing clinical research in ortho with a historically productive/well-established team, I co-authored several already published articles, and I should have many more papers by the time I matriculate (not counting abstracts/posters/etc.) Note: I am saying this to provide context, not to brag.

My question is as follows: when the time comes to apply for residencies/participate in the match, will it be looked upon less favorably that these papers are published now (as opposed to sometime during medical school)? For example, if I want to do Ortho down the road, will I be "expected" to pump out 5 more papers during my 2nd/3rd year? Also, if my interests change to another specialty, will my articles still have any sort of value for matching into them?

Thank you kindly for any advice. I know the basics behind matching, so hopefully this will clarify a bit for me.

 

[PanzerTank00]

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[HybridEarth]

Sort of but not a whole lot. You can try to continue to be productive and it will demonstrate commitment to the field and research, but truthfully many of your publications will "trickle in" while you are in medical school so it will give off the impression that you continued it during medical school anyways. I have seen several people who had research in orthopedics from before they started medical school in a similar context to you and who have done extremely well in the application process with minimal new productivity from med school so take it FWIW.

For other specialties, your articles will have value in the sense that you were productive in research but they will not come up often in terms of actual content because interviewers (in ENT, or IM, or ophtho, for example) will not know much about the topic. In that case, it will still help you but not nearly as much so I would advise you to pick up projects in the other field you want to go in.

Remember guys:

- Research in your chosen specialty > research in a related specialty > research in an unrelated specialty > no research at all

Also, publications > oral presentations > posters >>> stuff you contributed to but we were unable to produce into something meaningful. Get published. Bonus points for talks and posters in big conferences in your specialty

Source: research heavy applicant in ortho this cycle

You are very kind, thank you for this information and best of luck to you 🙂

 

[NotWayneBrady]

Sort of but not a whole lot. You can try to continue to be productive and it will demonstrate commitment to the field and research, but truthfully many of your publications will "trickle in" while you are in medical school so it will give off the impression that you continued it during medical school anyways. I have seen several people who had research in orthopedics from before they started medical school in a similar context to you and who have done extremely well in the application process with minimal new productivity from med school so take it FWIW.

For other specialties, your articles will have value in the sense that you were productive in research but they will not come up often in terms of actual content because interviewers (in ENT, or IM, or ophtho, for example) will not know much about the topic. In that case, it will still help you but not nearly as much so I would advise you to pick up projects in the other field you want to go in.

Remember guys:

- Research in your chosen specialty > research in a related specialty > research in an unrelated specialty > no research at all

Also, publications > oral presentations > posters >>> stuff you contributed to but we were unable to produce into something meaningful. Get published. Bonus points for talks and posters in big conferences in your specialty

Source: research heavy applicant in ortho this cycle

How did you get involved in ortho research? Any tips for ensuring your research will be productive in the end?

 

[FlowRate]

The major thing is to have publications accepted before submitting ERAS. Otherwise it doesn't really matter.

 

[PanzerTank00]

.

 

[spicysoup55]

How long does it usually take from writing the first draft to getting it published?

 

[LabrattoRx]

Hey guys,

First post on allo. I will be an M1 this upcoming Fall, and I look forward to continuing research throughout my career. I understand the more competitive specialties often require several publications for matching into a good program, and that many students perform the research during med school or in between years. I am currently in a gap year performing clinical research in ortho with a historically productive/well-established team, I co-authored several already published articles, and I should have many more papers by the time I matriculate (not counting abstracts/posters/etc.) Note: I am saying this to provide context, not to brag.

My question is as follows: when the time comes to apply for residencies/participate in the match, will it be looked upon less favorably that these papers are published now (as opposed to sometime during medical school)? For example, if I want to do Ortho down the road, will I be "expected" to pump out 5 more papers during my 2nd/3rd year? Also, if my interests change to another specialty, will my articles still have any sort of value for matching into them?

Thank you kindly for any advice. I know the basics behind matching, so hopefully this will clarify a bit for me.

If you already have papers, I'd find a way to somehow build on your previous experiences. Once you get to med school, for example find a good lab and try to just get your name on a paper doing calcium research for example. Not necessarily an md even. there are tons of people, and even if you do a simple abstract or poster to build on your experience this will probably be a good thing. Honestly, I've seen, and residency adcom knows, that some med students in their M3 and M4 years jsut show up and wash dishes, do a couple experiments and submit their end of term report, and get their names on a paper. I've seen it happen. I'd somehow show a genuine interest in building on what you have done, be able to communicate that, and then go from there. Ideally it would be in a form of more publications.

 

[LabrattoRx]

How long does it usually take from writing the first draft to getting it published?

Depends on the response of the journal. Takes about 1.5-2 months to get the format, references, and approval of your PI&group, then the decision can take a couple weeks to a month even. The real variable though, is in the journal's response. You can look that up but best case is accept unconditionally (rarely), accept with minor (great, another 5-8 weeks in best case), or accept with major revisions. The higher the impact factor of a journal, the higher the hill to climb. If you're pressed for time go for a lower impact factor journal.

 

[familyaerospace]

How long does it usually take from writing the first draft to getting it published?

I agree that it varies. My shortest time was about two weeks, longest like a year or something however that is mostly my fault.

 

[operaman]

I would add that doing research with your own faculty is one of the primary ways to get great letters when the time comes. It's hard for people to get to know you that well in only a few interactions spread over a handful of weeks. If you hook up with some attendings and do good work for them, it will translate into better letters not only from them, but from the entire department as you will become a well known entity.

Unless you are currently at your future med school, people will notice if all your papers come from elsewhere. I'm only a pgy1 but could easily look at a list of authors and know which institution it was from; I would assume the more experienced would be even better. It may not harm you and may not even get noticed initially, but something to think about.

Grades and boards above all else, but making some time to stay productive Going forward can only help.

 

[235009]

How long does it usually take from writing the first draft to getting it published?

This depends on your research study, how rigorous the journal is, your competing interests and how responsive your coauthors are. For one paper it took me 6 years to finally get it published! The shortest has been about 6 months. Responding to reviewer comments is very time consuming, journals typically have turnaround time of 2-4 weeks if not longer, and you always have other things going on that are difficult to put on hold.

In general your research from before med school will carry more weight if you've showed a continued interest in research throughout residency

 

[Amba]

If you hook up with some attendings and do good work for them, it will translate into better letters not only from them, but from the entire department...