How are publications in low impact journal viewed?

[Paramyxovirus]

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Hey guys,
So based on discussion with some of my colleagues, I have learned that it has been increasingly easier to publish in some low impact journals, which are pubmed indexed. These journals typically publish in less than 4 weeks. Hence a lot of candidates easily have 10-20 pubmed indexed publications at the time of fellowship application. On the other hand publishing in well known journals is harder and takes many months to publish.
IMGs applying from smaller community programs who have less of research opportunities often try to add bulk to their publications via these journals.
I would appreciate your thoughts on how Cardiology PDs view a candidate's publications at the time of application. Is it better to have 3-4 publications on your CV that are published in well-reputed journals as opposed to having > 10 publications in low impact journals, particularly if you are an IMG?

Thank you for your insight on the topic.

 

[a2p2]

Better than nothing but less than a high impact journal.

I was an applicant last year, had a second author pub in a somewhat high impact journal ie subspecialty journals of jacc/circ and a couple in lower impact ones. In all my interviews where research was brought up only the high impact one were talked about in depth.

 

[Egghead34]

Do you want peoples’ best guesses, or an actual PD to chime in? Because nobody really knows how this stuff is weighted except a program‘s inner staff

 

[lessismore123]

If you are coming from a smaller community program trying to determine how best to build your CV, I would venture out to say this is a made up problem. Rarely will an IM resident in a small community program have the resources to publish a high impact factor publication, let alone 3-4. It just isn’t something you could plan and execute out of nothing without the backing of solid infrastructure, which if you had had, you will not be worrying about matching. In any case, rather than try and fail to publish a high impact publication in the short time you have in residency and have nothing to show for by the time applications come around, the more prudent approach will be to have a few projects published even if they were in low impact journals because at least you will have something to talk about.

 

[aafisahar]

PDs can count but they can't read.