Paper published after

[Psychis4me]

I'll be applying this coming year and am applying to graduate school as well.

Does it make I difference if I get a paper published in let's say May? Would it be too late?

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[Therapist4Chnge]

If it has been accepted to a journal, etc.....you can include it on your CV as "accepted for publication" or "in press"....something like that. This is actually a timely question, since I'll be running into a similar issue in a few months. I have an opportunity to write/publish something, though at the time of my applications it will still be a manuscript, though it will be published the next year. I need to figure out how to best note that in my CV.

Anyone have suggestions for either case?

-t

 

[Psychis4me]

Thanks.. unfortunately I haven't really started it.. but my supervisor said he'll publish something with me. Sigh I guess it wont' help then? darn it.

 

[psychplease]

.

 

[JockNerd]

you can't write something down in your CV or on an application if it hasn't been written yet, but it's possible that by the time you go on interviews (jan-march probably) you might have something more substantial to show for your work. even if it's just a manuscript or abstract that has been submitted but not yet accepted, you could bring a copy to share with your interviewer to show that you've contributed substantially to a project. even though it won't happen in time to distinguish your application, it could be the kind of thing that sets you apart from other interviewees if you make it past the first cut.

To me this sounds too much like CV padding. Your current project is something you should definitely talk about in your personal statement and during interviews, but if you've got nothing substantial during application time then there's nothing you can do about that. Just my opinion; others may disagree and say it could be appropriate to write something about your thesis-in-progress on your CV.

It's not going to kill you not to have a pub on your CV. It definitely looks great, but it's really not so common as some people make it sound, especially for applicants straight out of UG.

Does it make I difference if I get a paper published in let's say May? Would it be too late?

You haven't started it yet, but you expect to see it in print in May? I have some sad sad news for you about that time frame

 

[blindblonde]

Well, this is somewhat linked. I submitted a proposal for a conference in Oct. and didn't know the results until after most of my applications were sent. So, I put "proposal submitted" to let them be aware I was working on it. So I guess if you send it off to a journal (yes, you should have it written) that may help.

Also, if you have interviews, you can always carry an updated CV or mention that you did do something. Granted, you'll have to get the interview first, but you can always tack stuff on then.

Good luck!

 

[amy203]

Actually, I included 4 papers on my CV that were labeled as "in preparation" and 2 that were "in review." I only included cases where the paper was far enough along that I had a title and a list of authors. For both types (in prep and in review), you do not include the name of the journal you are submitting to - you haven't earned that yet! If you look at professors' CVs, this is actually a pretty common practice. It's just another way of letting people know about the projects you've been working on.

Of course, don't lie about it! I think the part that made mine most convincing was the author lists, which included people who had written my letters of rec. If a professor considers you competent enough to co-author a paper, this is something schools should know about. Maybe ask them to mention it in your letter of rec as well. I also brought copies to all my interviews, even they were only in draft form or, in one case, where I only had the tables and figures complete. It was never an issue.

By the way, all four papers have since been finished and submitted.

 

[danzgymn86]

Ah, I've seen a lot of this, especially in prof's CVs.
If they are working on something, they write "manuscript in preparation."
Then there are a lof ot "in press" or "submitted for publication."

 

[JockNerd]

Ah, I've seen a lot of this, especially in prof's CVs.
If they are working on something, they write "manuscript in preparation."
Then there are a lof ot "in press" or "submitted for publication."

Well, sure, but applicants aren't profs. Thinking about it, Amy's practice does seem reasonable to me. In light of that, I'll weaken the statement I made before... I'm thinking that so long as the first authors on those papers are your ref writers, it should be okay. But, I'd say that you should still be waiting until you have the data collected and things good to go for analysis, or even preliminary analysis done, before adding it to the CV as a work-in-progress. psychplease is right that you could bring in a manuscript written in the time between apps and interviews, but if you have a line about a project you're still formulating, ethics could get delayed or the project might just not work, and you could have nothing to show for that line on your CV. Not too impressive...

 

[amy203]

Well, sure, but applicants aren't profs. Thinking about it, Amy's practice does seem reasonable to me. In light of that, I'll weaken the statement I made before... I'm thinking that so long as the first authors on those papers are your ref writers, it should be okay. But, I'd say that you should still be waiting until you have the data collected and things good to go for analysis, or even preliminary analysis done, before adding it to the CV as a work-in-progress. psychplease is right that you could bring in a manuscript written in the time between apps and interviews, but if you have a line about a project you're still formulating, ethics could get delayed or the project might just not work, and you could have nothing to show for that line on your CV. Not too impressive...

I also should have clarified that I was working with existing data sets, had IRB approval, and had run enough trial analyses that I new I had something worth publishing.

Psychis4me, if you can't get to this point by the time your applications are due, you could leave the info out of you CV, but include something about it in your personal statement. Say something like, "Dr. So and So and I plan to have the results of my thesis in manuscript form by early May, and will potentially submit the manuscript for publication by June," and ask your professor to say something similar in your letter of rec.

I really doubt anyone's going to blame you if things don't work out (i.e. you have to change your project due to IRB issues or you don't get interesting results). It happens all the time in research! The important point is that you show that you are committed to research, and also that your professor indicates that he/she believes you are capable of publishing.