Publication

[eellen3]

Hey wonderful people,

I hope you can help me.
I am currently working on a publication that has not yet been submitted. How can I put that in AMCAS? It won't let me put a future date of publication but it has not yet been published.

Thanks!!!!!

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[SB100]

Maybe mention it is under peer review?

 

[BluePhoenix]

If it hasn't been accepted, it's not a publication. ANYONE can submit a manuscript, it's not until it's actually been reviewed that it really counts. If it's been accepted and you're just making minor changes and proofing, then I'd put it done, but just because you've submitted it somewhere doesn't mean anything....sorry.

 

[WellWornLad]

You can always keep that gem for your interviews. It helps to bring fresh material sometimes.

 

[sunny1]

If it hasn't been accepted, it's not a publication. ANYONE can submit a manuscript, it's not until it's actually been reviewed that it really counts. If it's been accepted and you're just making minor changes and proofing, then I'd put it done, but just because you've submitted it somewhere doesn't mean anything....sorry.

Agreed. You shouldn't add a publication to AMCAS unless it's been accepted. What you can do is hope that it IS accepted soon and then use that as fodder for your interview (as someone else said) and/or send an update to schools for your file later.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

The C.V. term for this would be "manuscript in preparation" which is 5x as worthless as "submitted" which is itself 5x as worthless as "in press."

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Put it in your research section...."I Have submitted an article to be reviewed for possible publication in the future"...or something of that sort

 

[kenmc3]

Put it in your research section...."I Have submitted an article to be reviewed for possible publication in the future"...or something of that sort

I agree with ChubbyChaser – don’t let these other people belittle your efforts by saying it is worthless. Pre-med students are not even expected to participate in research and not all research leads to publications. So just having a paper in the works is something significant for a med school applicant.

When you talk about your research, include it as stated above. If it is accepted for publication you should send an update to all the schools you applied to. Also, be ready to talk about it during the interview and have copies (at least of the abstract) ready to hand out.

 

[BluePhoenix]

I agree with ChubbyChaser – don’t let these other people belittle your efforts by saying it is worthless. Pre-med students are not even expected to participate in research and not all research leads to publications. So just having a paper in the works is something significant for a med school applicant.

When you talk about your research, include it as stated above. If it is accepted for publication you should send an update to all the schools you applied to. Also, be ready to talk about it during the interview and have copies (at least of the abstract) ready to hand out.

I disagree. Pretty much every premed I've met has done research to some extent. Most programs I know have encourage it, at least for a summer or semester. The goal of most research is to get it published so if your research isn't heading in that direction, something might be wrong.

Writing a paper is NOT significant. Until it's been peer reviewed, it means nothing. Anyone can write a paper, anyone can submit a paper. It's not belittling someone's efforts, it's being honest. You can say you've submitted a paper if you want, but it doesn't carry much weight until the science community reviews it and says it's valid...that's just how it works. For most undergrads, getting a paper is just a matter of getting in the right lab at the right time with the right PI.

Regardless, be prepared to talk about your research and demonstrate that you understand what's going on and be able to show you're not just a lab monkey ( even if you only get to do basic tasks, you can still impress them by demonstrating that you really know the details of what you're doing and why it's important ).

 

[kenmc3]

I disagree. Pretty much every premed I've met has done research to some extent. Most programs I know have encourage it, at least for a summer or semester. The goal of most research is to get it published so if your research isn't heading in that direction, something might be wrong.

Writing a paper is NOT significant. Until it's been peer reviewed, it means nothing. Anyone can write a paper, anyone can submit a paper. It's not belittling someone's efforts, it's being honest. You can say you've submitted a paper if you want, but it doesn't carry much weight until the science community reviews it and says it's valid...that's just how it works. For most undergrads, getting a paper is just a matter of getting in the right lab at the right time with the right PI.

Regardless, be prepared to talk about your research and demonstrate that you understand what's going on and be able to show you're not just a lab monkey ( even if you only get to do basic tasks, you can still impress them by demonstrating that you really know the details of what you're doing and why it's important ).

If the original poster himself is writing the paper, that is significant. When I was in undergrad I did research for 3 years and never wrote a paper myself, other than my thesis (which wasn’t peer reviewed so I guess NOT significant). For that matter, over the 3 years I have been doing research in med school I didn’t actually write the papers myself (other than a case report).

Also, there are many instances where research may not be published, like if there are no significant findings to report. This happens all too often and is unfortunate for those working on a project, especially because people seem to correlate the significance of research experience with the number of publications. I know plenty of people who worked really hard and didn’t get there name on a publication, while others just showed up for lab meetings and cleaned the rat cages and were listed as an author.

So my original opinion stands – I would mention it in your research blurb.

 

[CoolSpot7Up]

I would include it in your AMCAS, but possibly not under "publication" but in your research description as was mentioned above. Yes, it is true that anyone can submit a manuscript, but what percentage of those applying actually submitted a fake paper just to add it to their AMCAS? If you say you're writing or submitted a manuscript, that shows you've actually worked on a project, and brought it to the paper phase. Having a paper get accepted could take a while, depending on where you submit. We had a paper submitted a year ago and the journal has agreed to publish it but it still going back and forth with corrections...the process can take a while and may not be done in time for your interviews.

If you list it on your AMCAS, be expected to know the project inside and out. For the person who said "anyone can submit and it's worthless," the interview would be the stage where the person who lied would be caught and probably blacklisted.

So again, mention the fact you are working on a paper. I have 8 papers right now that are in different stages of the manuscript process. They all requried a significant amount of my time and energy, and I would like medical schools to know about them. If it's been published/accepted, list it under "Publications." If it's submitted/in preparation, mention it under your research EC. Don't let people on SDN tell you your paper is worthless if it hasn't been accepted...you've completed the project and the fact that you've reached the manuscript phase is impressive (and you want schools to know about it since the time from submission to print may take too long).

 

[beachblonde]

OP, feel free to list it on AMCAS under your research section. Say, "the effects of yadda yadda on blah blah expression" has been submitted to "X Journal" and is under review.

Then, when it's accepted (fingers crossed) you can send the schools an update with the publication date and maybe a copy of the paper.

People on this thread seem to be arguing over a paper versus publication, and it isn't just semantics: having a peer-reviewed publication is a great accomplishment (and this seems to be the direction you're headed in). I think even just being in the submission process is a good thing, because it shows that your PI trusted you to do work, and that you ended up making a significant contribution. Med schools will look favorably upon that.