why is being published considered so great?

[soreed]

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i don't see why. is it suppose to show the quality of research you did?

 

[Pinkertinkle]

It shows that you, or someone you were working for, were able to make some headway and generate some interesting research. Of course, its just a bonus and won't make or break an applicant.

BTW, people who do research for industry often can't publish due to nondisclosure, so don't worry if you're in industry.

 

[docmemi]

i guess it also shows comittment and its an honor. it takes a lot to publish something and it takes even more to be an author of one, espcially if youre the first or second. not everyone can get published. but yeah, you dont need it to get in and i would say your numbers and overall app are way more important than being published. if your numbers are low, it wont matter how many times you were published.

 

[zep]

It also demonstrates an ability to see something through till its completion. It?s easy to start a research project, but its another thing to execute all of the steps necessary to publish the data. A distinction should also be made between publishing in respectable verses crap journals. The academicians on adcoms do recognize the difference. 👍

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

For the adcoms, I don't know if this is necessarily true. While being published in Science/Nature will definitely garner more attention, simply being published anywhere is better than not being published at all. They are not going to treat you like you can't research if your work gets published in a lower tier journal.

And besides, getting published, especially for undergrads, is a good thing and a positive on your app, but its not by any means going to make your application. This is simply because publishing takes dedication and usually hard work, but there is also a lot of luck involved (which prof you work for, which project you are assigned to, etc) if you are only researching for one or two years as an undergrad. Adcoms know this, and will probably take it into account.

 

[zep]

They are not going to treat you like you can't research if your work gets published in a lower tier journal.

Well, that depends on how low you go. It's clear that very poor science can get 'published'.

 

[agp4]

I think being published shows that not only are you competent in laboratory research, but that you've gained a level of expertise in a specific area of science. If you publish in a respectable journal it also signifies that you're capable of being productive once you join the medical profession. Its true that plenty of people do excellent research projects without getting published and others get published with crappy articles, but publications can be indicative of a serious research interest. This is particularly useful for those people who want to go into an MD/PhD program.

A couple of the schools I interviewed with asked for copies of my article, and a few faculty interviewers even read them and asked me specific questions. So, I'd say it'd be worse to get published and then be unable to talk about your work. Like the guys said before, no school will accept a person based solely on their publications unless you do something groundbreaking (pretty unlikely for undergrads).

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

I think being published shows that not only are you competent in laboratory research, but that you've gained a level of expertise in a specific area of science. If you publish in a respectable journal it also signifies that you're capable of being productive once you join the medical profession. Its true that plenty of people do excellent research projects without getting published and others get published with crappy articles, but publications can be indicative of a serious research interest. This is particularly useful for those people who want to go into an MD/PhD program.

A couple of the schools I interviewed with asked for copies of my article, and a few faculty interviewers even read them and asked me specific questions. So, I'd say it'd be worse to get published and then be unable to talk about your work. Like the guys said before, no school will accept a person based solely on their publications unless you do something groundbreaking (pretty unlikely for undergrads).

Yeah, too bad none of us were lucky enough to develop a new miracle cancer drug or find a cure for AIDS. If we did that, I think we would be pretty money for just about any medical school.