is my friend lying (or believing something to be true when wrong)

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EndlessEntropy

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So we're sophomores talking in orgo about the research we're going and he said he did some extra over summer and got 2 publications including a first author. Is this in any way true or if he did get "publications" it was in something insignificant?
 
theres no way you can start research over the summer and get a first author publication, let alone a 2nd publication, and when you were just a freshman lol.....
 
So we're sophomores talking in orgo about the research we're going and he said he did some extra over summer and got 2 publications including a first author. Is this in any way true or if he did get "publications" it was in something insignificant?

Getting a letter published in the Playboy Advisor column is not a first author publication.

Express an interest in his work and ask to read his publications.
 
Simply ask him where were they published. If you really want to skewer him, ask for a re-print or manuscript because you're really interested.


So we're sophomores talking in orgo about the research we're going and he said he did some extra over summer and got 2 publications including a first author. Is this in any way true or if he did get "publications" it was in something insignificant?
 
So we're sophomores talking in orgo about the research we're going and he said he did some extra over summer and got 2 publications including a first author. Is this in any way true or if he did get "publications" it was in something insignificant?

I did 4 years of organic research in college starting as a freshman. Your friend is full of it. First off, it takes at least a year to learn all the techniques and equipment. Even then, it takes days to run reactions because you suck so much. Graduate students will work at at least 4 times the pace as you, and they can't publish even half that fast.

I was lucky to get a small total synthesis that I barely managed to finish. I designed it myself, and worked on it for 60 hours a week during the summer and about 25 hours a week in the fall and spring. Took me a year and a half. That's one paper. And I was second author.
 
Such a lie. Even if he came in magically with all the knowledge and techniques, gathering data, submitting the manuscript, and getting it approved, and then published takes a long time.
 
Priorities first; Tell your friend to show you his Tardis.
 
I don't know about first author but I know a girl who got her name on a publication during the summer brake between high school and college. It was from a pretty well known neurological institute too.

Nice to have parents in the right places.
 
So we're sophomores talking in orgo about the research we're going and he said he did some extra over summer and got 2 publications including a first author. Is this in any way true or if he did get "publications" it was in something insignificant?

its funny that this bothered you enough to log onto SDN and make a post about it. I for one applaud your friend, he's probably making the blood of all the gunner premeds boil.
 
its funny that this bothered you enough to log onto SDN and make a post about it. I for one applaud your friend, he's probably making the blood of all the gunner premeds boil.

This was a very "U Wot M8"-style post
 
Getting a letter published in the Playboy Advisor column is not a first author publication.

Express an interest in his work and ask to read his publications.

Simply ask him where were they published. If you really want to skewer him, ask for a re-print or manuscript because you're really interested.

Why? Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Don't see how this affects the OP in any way at all. If the dude is really a friend, tell him congratulations and move on.

OP: keep your head down, focus on your own stuff, and do your thing.
 
You could always just google his name and see if anything comes up
 
Why? Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Don't see how this affects the OP in any way at all. If the dude is really a friend, tell him congratulations and move on.

OP: keep your head down, focus on your own stuff, and do your thing.

Well, someone who would lie about something like this to aggrandize themselves is probably not someone you want to be friends with.

But it's a pretty easy thing to figure out if someone is lying or not, so the OP shouldn't spend much time worrying about it and just check if they suspect it's not true.
 
In my experience, some younger undergraduate students often confuse posters with published papers. Some think that because their poster abstract is printed in the conference booklet or database, it counts as being "published." Though this may be technically true if the poster abstracts at a conference are printed in an actual journal (as opposed to a program or booklet).

However, I knew one high school student who worked in a neighboring lab in the summer and got a 3rd author publication in one of the American Society for Microbiology journals. Their parent was a PI in the same building and was friends with the other PI. Basically, the parent pulled some strings so that the kid could get a publication. I was frustrated because it seemed unfair (and also my project was going nowhere, despite my hard work). In the end, you just have to realize that this is how things work and move on.
 
its funny that this bothered you enough to log onto SDN and make a post about it. I for one applaud your friend, he's probably making the blood of all the gunner premeds boil.

You took the words out of my mouth. 👍

Honestly, I don't understand the points of these types of posts. People are going to lie to you, and some of those lies are going to be ridiculous. Some people are also clinically crazy. They have issues. What will the confirmation of their lies effectively do? Drive them to a psychotic break? Is that what you really want?
 
So we're sophomores talking in orgo about the research we're going and he said he did some extra over summer and got 2 publications including a first author. Is this in any way true or if he did get "publications" it was in something insignificant?

These days people never lie; they are simply mistaken.
 
Getting a letter published in the Playboy Advisor column is not a first author publication.

Express an interest in his work and ask to read his publications.

Lol'ed at this!

Good one!

In all seriousness, he is lying (99.9999999%) sure of it.
 
Google scholar his name. Then bring it up and watch him panic or lie some more.

Might as well have fun with it, eh?:laugh:
 
Getting a letter published in the Playboy Advisor column is not a first author publication.

Express an interest in his work and ask to read his publications.

Hmmm... Should probably take that one off my CV then. 😏
 
It would probably take longer than the summer just to write the thing, send it off, wait for a rejection, send it off somewhere else, get comments, submit a revision, and get the paper accepted.

Very few premeds publish first author papers that are of high enough impact to get accepted to the first journal they submit to.

If you're so worried, just pubmed his name and see what comes up...
 
Just type his name into pubmed (or google scholar if it wasn't biomed research). If he's actually published, all of his work will show up there.

It would probably take longer than the summer just to write the thing, send it off, wait for a rejection, send it off somewhere else, get comments, submit a revision, and get the paper accepted.

Very few premeds publish first author papers that are of high enough impact to get accepted to the first journal they submit to.

If you're so worried, just pubmed his name and see what comes up...

I've had two out of three pubs accepted to the first journal I submitted them to (although both had to go through one revision each). If you're honest with yourself about the quality of your work you should be able to get into the first journal you submit to, unless you're trying for high impact journals. I liken it to college admissions: 99% of colleges are a sure thing provided you're honest with yourself and apply to schools that you can realistically get into. Only the top schools are dice rolls no matter how good you are.
 
Just type his name into pubmed (or google scholar if it wasn't biomed research). If he's actually published, all of his work will show up there.



I've had two out of three pubs accepted to the first journal I submitted them to (although both had to go through one revision each). If you're honest with yourself about the quality of your work you should be able to get into the first journal you submit to, unless you're trying for high impact journals. I liken it to college admissions: 99% of colleges are a sure thing provided you're honest with yourself and apply to schools that you can realistically get into. Only the top schools are dice rolls no matter how good you are.

Unfortunately, I've found that most premeds submit to Nature, Science, NEJM, etc first :meanie:

Hell, I overestimated my own work and submitted to Peds the first time as well, so it's not like I was any better.
 
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Just type his name into pubmed (or google scholar if it wasn't biomed research). If he's actually published, all of his work will show up there.



I've had two out of three pubs accepted to the first journal I submitted them to (although both had to go through one revision each). If you're honest with yourself about the quality of your work you should be able to get into the first journal you submit to, unless you're trying for high impact journals. I liken it to college admissions: 99% of colleges are a sure thing provided you're honest with yourself and apply to schools that you can realistically get into. Only the top schools are dice rolls no matter how good you are.

It's pretty common to aim high with the first submission knowing chances are low, then retool based on comments if you get rejected. You don't lose anything except a little time, and the payoff can be significant. My research group has had some stunning successes that way. The PIs choose the journals and they do this very deliberately.
 
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