Research but no publication

[barrons12101]

I've doing research for a year and half with same professor, but I don't have my own project or presented a poster like others .I only do basic stuffs such as preparing cultures and cleaning dishes and the professor does not expect me to do anything such as analyzing results from the data, etc. I see many friends getting their work published while I do not even have my own project. I do tedious, repetitive work that no one wants to do. Is it something to worry about? If an interview asks me question about the research during interview, what do I even say? Also, I barely talk to the professor. Professor seems very busy and is very difficult to approach. I was thinking about getting the recommendation letter from the professor since I've been working at the lab for a year and half, but I am hesitant to get the rec letter from the professor because I barely know her and the professor doesn't know me well and didn't have my own project. But I've been working diligently at the lab. The professor was able to gather a lot of data because of my hard work!

What are your thoughts? Should I worry?

Thank you so much!

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[sp1997]

I was on a similar boat. I did research for two years, one of my projects was killed and I left when the second was about to get put on a shelf so I was never published. I guess I had the advantage of a sociable professor and had the opportunity to train new undergraduate hires as an undergrad myself.

For you, I’d say milk the experience. Did lab teach you about sharing a space/materials/resources with others? Did it teach you patience and perseverance when runs failed or you got contradicting data? Did it teach you problem solving on your own first before going to someone else? Did it teach you how to ask the right questions to understand? I was in an orgo chem lab and honestly I understood jack after I wasn’t in orgo class anymore but I felt like lab help shape me into a more patient person. You can PM me if you have any more questions!

 

[2jz]

I've doing research for a year and half with same professor, but I don't have my own project or presented a poster like others .I only do basic stuffs such as preparing cultures and cleaning dishes and the professor does not expect me to do anything such as analyzing results from the data, etc. I see many friends getting their work published while I do not even have my own project. I do tedious, repetitive work that no one wants to do. Is it something to worry about? If an interview asks me question about the research during interview, what do I even say? Also, I barely talk to the professor. Professor seems very busy and is very difficult to approach. I was thinking about getting the recommendation letter from the professor since I've been working at the lab for a year and half, but I am hesitant to get the rec letter from the professor because I barely know her and the professor doesn't know me well and didn't have my own project. But I've been working diligently at the lab. The professor was able to gather a lot of data because of my hard work!

What are your thoughts? Should I worry?

Thank you so much!

There's still a lot of time between now and next cycle. If I were you I'd ask about taking a more lead roll on a project, or even just an aspect of a project. If your PI is publishing a paper based on work you've done, see if you can write a section of the paper like the materials/methods. I spent about two years with a PI that was working on a paper and much of my contributions towards it were small and only landed me with an acknowledgement, but he was incredibly hands on - so he knew me really well, and was able to write a very personal letter. While you may not have that sort of relationship with your mentor, it doesn't mean they still don't appreciate the hard work you put in, and I'd be shocked if they don't reward you with a decent letter or a more involved role on a project (assuming you ask).

A lot of what sp1997 said is spot on. I went through a lot of trial and error during my time in lab and I could easily speak to how humbling an experience it was. Patience and problem solving were paramount. One other thing I would suggest, is to know what your lab researches inside and out. Why is that topic important, why is your PI investigating it? What methods did you use, how do they work mechanistically? What can they show? What did they show? How is that important, what does it mean, and where do you go next? Even if none of what you worked on is your own personal project, being able to competently explain what, how, why you did what you did will go a long way in an interview. It looks a whole lot better then just saying you were a tech who moved liquid from one microcentrifuge tube to another and occasionally put them in a thermocycler.

 

[asdfhhadsf234]

Is publishing important? I've always heard dental schools don't value research as much as medical schools

 

[princeafrica]

The whole interview process is about being authentic not someone you aren’t. Don’t get all stressed out because you might get asked about the research and you won’t be able to say you are the top dawg in the lab. I put down research on my application and they asked me what I do and I straight up told them all the very basic minimal things I do which made my research on there insignificant. Nonetheless I got accepted and it is a research school (UCSF).

This isn’t medical school where everyone on that side seems to be competiting on who has the most impressive research on their application. Put things on there that you will be able to talk about and do not be afraid to speak about your role, no matter how big or how small.

 

[TanMan]

I've doing research for a year and half with same professor, but I don't have my own project or presented a poster like others .I only do basic stuffs such as preparing cultures and cleaning dishes and the professor does not expect me to do anything such as analyzing results from the data, etc. I see many friends getting their work published while I do not even have my own project. I do tedious, repetitive work that no one wants to do. Is it something to worry about? If an interview asks me question about the research during interview, what do I even say? Also, I barely talk to the professor. Professor seems very busy and is very difficult to approach. I was thinking about getting the recommendation letter from the professor since I've been working at the lab for a year and half, but I am hesitant to get the rec letter from the professor because I barely know her and the professor doesn't know me well and didn't have my own project. But I've been working diligently at the lab. The professor was able to gather a lot of data because of my hard work!

What are your thoughts? Should I worry?

Thank you so much!

How much more time do you have until you have to start the application process? The reason I ask is that you need to figure out if you have time to accomplish anything that you can put down objectively on your application. The lack of anything objective makes it hard to distinguish your research experience from everyone else's research experience. If you don't know your PI well enough, the problem comes from either receiving a generic letter of recommendation or a bad letter of recommendation; on the flip side, if you have worked under that PI for a long duration and don't get a letter from them, some discerning adcom members may question why.

I would look at it this way:
Do I have anything else to gain by continuing with this PI? If you want a letter, is there any way to read it before it gets submitted, just in case it is a bad letter you can throw out. If you got an LOR, can you leave the group if there's no way of getting published without burning too many bridges? If you can answer those questions, you can determine whether your time was fruitful or pointless... and what to do afterwards.