Research publications and authorship

[HolyGrail]

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I'll be getting 2nd author on a paper after this coming semester, but this project will be regarded very highly when it is published. There was a lot of work done behind it and it has far reaching implications in the medical field with the treatment of the disease we are working on.

Is this acceptable as authorship? Does it matter that I'm not a first author(I don't expect to be, the guy I'm working under did 2 years on the project before I even got there, and I'll have worked on it for only one year ~30 hours/week)

I'm excited to be listed as a 2nd author, since I've constructed some of the procedures, created experiments etc... But is this going to be at all impressive? Would it look better if I picked up some junk research on **insert frivolous thing** and be first author? I'd like to continue working in this lab though, since the lab is a great place to be.

 

[armybound]

2nd authorship > no authorship, which is what most pre-meds have.

be very proud of your publication.

 

[HolyGrail]

Thanks Army, I guess I was under the impression that all pre-meds had some sort of 1st/2nd author. I looked at the AMCAS booklet and it lists "Research experience: 87%" on practically every school.

 

[beachblonde]

Thanks Army, I guess I was under the impression that all pre-meds had some sort of 1st/2nd author. I looked at the AMCAS booklet and it lists "Research experience: 87%" on practically every school.

I'd be willing to bet that a lot of that "research experience" was really just being a lab assistant and certainly not having their own projects, or having projects that aren't really publishable.

If the statistic looked at number published, I imagine the number would drop precipitously.

Congrats on the publication-it's something that you'll always have on your resume.

 

[armybound]

I agree, most research experience is probably working in lab for a semester, not publications. If they have publications, they're probably mostly a poster presentation.

I doubt many pre-meds have put significant work into a meaningful publication.

 

[135892]

Thanks Army, I guess I was under the impression that all pre-meds had some sort of 1st/2nd author. I looked at the AMCAS booklet and it lists "Research experience: 87%" on practically every school.

That's just the percentage of applicants who have participated in research, not the percentage of applicants with publications...huge difference. Any publication as any undergraduate is good, so you should be proud of yourself, and if you actually enjoy being in the lab and know what you're doing, that's even better.

 

[The South Face]

I'll be getting 2nd author on a paper after this coming semester, but this project will be regarded very highly when it is published. There was a lot of work done behind it and it has far reaching implications in the medical field with the treatment of the disease we are working on.

Not to totally kill your mojo here, but this what most people's research is aimed at doing. With that said, I agree with the other poster's. Having a second author publication is a great accomplishment and should not be looked
down on simply because you are not the first author. Many people get involved with research, but not many undergrads can claim that they have a second authored paper to their name.

 

[schismal]

Second authorship is fantastic. If you're able to discuss the research intelligently (which should be simple, given your level of involvement), then you're golden. 👍

 

[Pinkertinkle]

So what journal is it gonna be in? It's been accepted right? Cause you can never count on a paper before its in press.