updating publications (ERAS or programs directly)?

[DrDarwin]

Hi everyone,

I recently submitted ERAS, which I am relieved about. I actually held off on submitting it for a few weeks because I knew a couple of papers I will be co-author on were close to being submitted, and I wanted to include them in my application. I finally had enough waiting around, however, and submitted my app the other day. Then, today, I got an email notifying me that one of the said papers has been received and is being reviewed by a journal. I am obviously pleased about this, but I am not sure how I can--or if I should--update my application to include this info. I cannot make changes to CAF (that I know of), so the only option would seem to be to notify programs directly. But would it be annoying to notify them that a manuscript has merely been submitted? Maybe I should wait until it's accepted? The last thing I want to do is be annoying, but I would like to convey this information to programs if it will improve my competitiveness. For the record, the paper concerns a project I did during medical school and is closely related to the field in which I am applying, though the research was not conducted in that exact field. Also, I have recently submitted a paper in my prospective field (first author). These are the only two manuscripts I have. The rest of my "publications" are abstracts and posters. As I am applying to a field in which applicants generally have a lot of research projects, I think more pubs is better.

Any opinions are appreciated.

Thanks.

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[subtle1epiphany]

This is something I am also curious about. Is it most appropriate to contact each program individually by email with the news of an accepted submission?
I guess a dramatic and possibly very favorable scenario is the bring nicely printed copies of an abstract or manuscript along with you to interviews, it also provides an avenue of discussion if necessary.
Any thoughts on this matter for us fortunate enough to have the option?
Thanks in advance!
- s1e

 

[NotAProgDirector]

You are correct that you can't update your pubs section.

Given that all you have is an email saying that the paper was received by the journal -- not that it was accepted -- i'm not convinced that this is big news. However, if you think that your chances of getting an interview at all will be affected by this, then the only thing to do is to update programs individually by email. You might want to check on the status of other publications also -- the last thing you want to do is send them another email next week updating again.

For the most part, I would simply hold onto this information and disclose it at your interview. But it is your choice, and my field (IM) is not driven primarily by publications.

 

[DrDarwin]

Thanks, aProgDirector. I kind of wish I had just waited a few more days to submit my app because, objectively, it seems a little neurotic to email a bunch of programs to inform them that a paper with my name on it has been received by a journal. My understanding is that many of the top tier programs, where having an extra pub may prove most beneficial for me in terms of garnering an interview, in my prospective field sit tight until the Dean's Letters are released anyway. With luck, the manuscript will be accepted before or shortly thereafter, at which time I could update programs that I have a new publication.