Letters to editor

[Mountain Cow]

While I'm sure a published letter (non-peer reviewed) doesn't carry nearly the weight as a research paper, do these mean much to admissions committees?

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[wildfocus]

my guess is probably not b/c you wouldn't put a letter to the editor on your CV (typically). but, it may depend on the journal? perhaps in NEJM or JAMA?

 

[strangeglove]

my guess is probably not b/c you wouldn't put a letter to the editor on your CV (typically). but, it may depend on the journal? perhaps in NEJM or JAMA?

Of course you should put a letter to the editor in your CV. However, it should be under the section: "Editorials and Reviews," or something like that, so that it is clear that it is not peer reviewed. By the same token, your list of peer-reviewed publications should be called as such and should not include any editorials, review articles, invited commentaries, or book chapters, unless these have been peer reviewed. The real distinction is whether a publication has been peer-reviewed.

 

[wildfocus]

Of course you should put a letter to the editor in your CV. However, it should be under the section: "Editorials and Reviews," or something like that, so that it is clear that it is not peer reviewed. By the same token, your list of peer-reviewed publications should be called as such and should not include any editorials, review articles, invited commentaries, or book chapters, unless these have been peer reviewed. The real distinction is whether a publication has been peer-reviewed.

my mistake, then - but, i've looked at hundreds of cv's and don't recall seeing "letters to the editor," honestly...

 

[hawaiigirl]

i actually see them pretty often on CVs... and if it's good enough for Oliver Sacks, it's good enough for me. 😉

http://www.oliversacks.com/cvprint.htm

 

[lazerlight77]

delete

 

[tbo]

hi folks,

so the understanding is that "Letters to the Editor" aren't peer-reviewed.

does that mean only the editor reads them, then decides their worthiness?

or does he typically "send it out" to peer-reviewers, like other articles, for feedback?


just wondering what the procedure is for letters to be considered.

As I understand it, someone (editor or some from the editorial staff) reads a letter and must consider it's worthiness to be published (Will scientists derive any value from this compelling statement?), so it is vetted in some way but not nearly to the degree of peer-review for a publication. I agree that it should be included in a CV, particularly early in your career (ie. applying to med school). It can only add to a committee's evaluation of your ability to think critically (assuming that's what constitutes your letter).