Quick publication

[premedk]

So I started on a survey based health policy/medical education research project last year with an attending at my home institution. I was able to get a $10,000 grant from his dept head and I am listed at the PI. The problem is my results/data isn't as strong I hoped, and I doubt I can turn this into a peer reviewed publication in a high tier journal, as I hoped. I'm now a 4th year, and I really want an end point for this project so I can get credit for on ERAS. My preceptor is a busy attending, with no recent publications to his name, and the Dept's research assistants want no part of this project since the grant didn't approve for staff funding. Should I submit to a journal and list it as "submitted," are there conferences I can submit to, can I do a poster presentation?? I'm so confused.

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[Gadofosveset]

To my mind, there's a couple ways you could go with this, and it depends on two things:
1) (More important) what do you mean by "results/data [aren't] as strong as I hoped"? (you don't have to answer this here).
2) Are you going to list other publications for ERAS?

If the study methodology is sound but the results aren't dramatic, then you're right, it might take a while to find someone to publish it… but that doesn't mean that the study doesn't have value. If I were in this situation, and I believed in the study, I'd try to find a quick way to get the abstract published at a known conference, present it at the conference, and then give myself more time to get the publication ready. A poster is the next option if you can't go that route.

If the study methodology is not as sound as you had hoped… then I would feature the research in your personal statement and be prepared to talk about it. If you have other publications to list on your ERAS, this is even better.

Anybody can make up a project and put it on their ERAS as "in progress" or "submitted", it may draw some questions in the interview, but I'd consider that the least best option since some might interpret it as padding.

My 2 cents.

 

[Gadofosveset]

If you have no other publications, putting it both "in progress"/"submitted" and ALSO putting it in the personal statement might be a good option. You're telling them that the research was not just padding and asking them to ask you about it.

Total: 4 cents.

 

[premedk]

Good advice! I'll list on ERAS and mention it in my personal statement. My only other publications are 2 case reports where I'm second author, but both just got rejected from a journal, we submitted to another one and are waiting to hear back. Admittedly, the case reports are just padding. The other project, I spent hours on, but the methodology was flawed(survey were too long, people were randomly clicking).