publications out there

[cardinalcraze]

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For those applying this year, just curious as to how many people have had publications in peer-reviewed journals. It seems difficult to have had enough research experience to get a publication out as an undergrad, but I keep hearing about people with papers out.

For those who have had one (or many) publications, what kind of journals do you publish in? On the caliber of JBC?, JACS?, JCS?, JCB?, Nature???, Science???

 

[b&ierstiefel]

For those who have had one (or many) publications, what kind of journals do you publish in? On the caliber of JBC?, JACS?, JCS?, JCB?, Nature???, Science???

As an undergrad, it's easier to get a second author or a third author or etc than it is to get a first author publication.

In any case, I had 3 publications...and none of them were in the above journals. I did research in plant biochemistry so I would publish in journals like Plant Physiology.

 

[cardinalcraze]

As an undergrad, it's easier to get a second author or a third author or etc than it is to get a first author publication.

In any case, I had 3 publications...and none of them were in the above journals. I did research in plant biochemistry so I would publish in journals like Plant Physiology.

how about anyone else who's applied to MD/PhD programs? i mean, do admissions committees really care that you've published in a journal with an impact factor (IF) < 1.0?

would you say it's better to be first author on a IF<1 paper, or second/third/fourth/fifth on a paper to a journal like PNAS? any thoughts?

 

[linuxizer]

how about anyone else who's applied to MD/PhD programs? i mean, do admissions committees really care that you've published in a journal with an impact factor (IF) < 1.0?

would you say it's better to be first author on a IF<1 paper, or second/third/fourth/fifth on a paper to a journal like PNAS? any thoughts?

I think the general gospel around here is that what's most important is knowing your work and being able to discuss it intelligently in interviews. If you have a first author science paper that your professor mom's friend handed you as a personal favor, they will find out real quick-like come interview time. But given you know your stuff, I'd say a first author in a second tier journal is more important than second author in a top-tier journal, because, while it's easy to add one more author, very few (particularly as a lowly undergrad) will wind up on first authorship without having done the bulk of the work for that paper. My $0.02.
Ari

 

[OddNath]

I definitely had a couple IF < 0.03252 1st author papers out there. How do I put this...well, there are some clinical journals out there that will take pretty much anything. So as the above poster said, what's really important is being able to explain the ins and outs of your research, and some interviewers will throw you curve balls just to make sure you know your stuff. (Though also, don't be shy to say "I don't know" if that's the case)

And as it's been said before, being published is not a requirement at all-- many people get into awesome programs without any papers.

So to answer your question, adcoms were interested in my no-name journal papers really only to the extent that it showed them that I put alot of work into those projects. But you can show them that through your knowledge and letters of rec.

how about anyone else who's applied to MD/PhD programs? i mean, do admissions committees really care that you've published in a journal with an impact factor (IF) < 1.0?