Letter vs. Article

[PhysicianScientist]

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Hi all, just wondering, which would MD/PhD programs like to see more:

1. an applicant with a first-author publication of an article in a journal with impact factor of about 5
or
2. an applicant with a first-author publication of a letter in a journal with impact factor of 6.5?

 

[Neuronix]

What's the difference between an "article" and a "letter" ? I mean I have a concept of the idea, but I don't think the definitions of these are uniform in this context.

 

[PhysicianScientist]

What's the difference between an "article" and a "letter" ? I mean I have a concept of the idea, but I don't think the definitions of these are uniform in this context.

This is from my understanding and the first sentence is from an ACS website:

"Letters are short articles that report results whose immediate availability to the scientific community is deemed important." Letters are usually shorter and more to-the-point. They often show something that may not be thoroughly enough explored for a full article. Articles are usually longer and include more details and/or more experiments that explore a topic more than a letter.

I am just wondering how MD/PhD adcoms view the significance of a letter or an article. I have the option to publish a paper as a letter in a higher impact journal or as an article in a lower impact journal (they only differ by ~2 points) so I was wondering which I should pursue.

 

[StIGMA]

They are both peer-reviewed publications. There is no real difference other than article length. The length of your manuscript and number of figures should determine whether your paper classifies as an article or letter (which is journal-specific regarding length/figure specifications). MD/PhD programs probably won't notice the difference, and if they do, they won't care because it doesn't matter. They are both significant.

 

[gutonc]

What @StIGMA said. Potayto/Potahto. Get it published and move on.