Publication

[starshine]

When we say that publications matters in your application, does the "publications" include conference papers?

[AaronM]

Publications and conference papers aren't the same thing. Publications, strictly defined, mean having work accepted in a peer reviewed journal. As a co-author with professors at my u/g institution, I had an article under review at a peer reviewed journal (currently in R&R, woo hoo!) and that helped me out a lot.

 

Conference papers are still very good for an application, it shows that you know how to do and present research. If you want it to REALLY help out your application, I would work with a prof to get the article ready for submission at a journal. That would help out your application the most. However, if the timeline just doesn't work out, presenting at a conference is still a big help to applications.

[Darth.Vegan]

book reviews, book reviews, book reviews! Pretty easy to get published in either academic journals or academic databases. My advisor actually suggested it and made it happen by offering to co-author (but she let me write most of the review and be first author). 

[Maleficent999]

book reviews, book reviews, book reviews! Pretty easy to get published in either academic journals or academic databases. My advisor actually suggested it and made it happen by offering to co-author (but she let me write most of the review and be first author).

This is actually really good advice, especially for people wondering what to do if they took a year or more off between undergrad and applications.

[breaks0]

I have some other publication questions, mainly as they relate to having a positive impact on phd applications. I presented a paper at a panel I organized at what I'd describe as a hybrid scholar activist conference last year, where the editor of a theory journal published by a major UK based publisher offered to publish my paper. A chance I obviously jumped at. The topic, however, was not directly related to the major research interest I stated in my applications, however. I of course included it on my resume in the application, but I'm wondering if this combination of factors helps at all to beef up your apps so to speak. Or does it have little to no impact since it's w/a foreign journal on a different research topic? To be blunt, I'm also wondering if the fact that the journal and the article content and argument I made were on the politically radical side (certainly by US standards) hurts or helps at all.

 

I appreciate the book review idea and that's something I'll try to do maybe one or two of over the coming year, since I'll probably be reapplying this coming Fall, along with trying to submit to some sociological journals here in the states.

Edited March 2, 2014 by breaks0

[maximus82]

I think it doesn't matter if you've published in something that isn't related to your field of interest. The important thing about the publication, at least when you are applying to graduate school, is that you know how to publish. So the what really matters here is that you've published and that you've organized a panel, both of which are things you'll have to do during your graduate career to succeed as an academic. 

[jmu]

I'm curious what you all have to publish as undergrads. I have years of research and am only just now at a point where I think I'm ready to publish something and even then it probably won't be for another year. Is this all co-author stuff from working as an RA or something? Conceptual/theoretical work? I couldn't imagine being ready to publish something after undergrad. I barely knew the literature! (One of my BAs was in Sociology/Anthropology, FWIW).

[Maleficent999]

I'm curious what you all have to publish as undergrads. I have years of research and am only just now at a point where I think I'm ready to publish something and even then it probably won't be for another year. Is this all co-author stuff from working as an RA or something? Conceptual/theoretical work? I couldn't imagine being ready to publish something after undergrad. I barely knew the literature! (One of my BAs was in Sociology/Anthropology, FWIW).

I think mainly they might look for first authorship in student journals. For instance, my undergrad had a political science journal that was created and run by students but edited by professors and students. That's where my only first author pub came from. I don't think many schools expect undergrads to publish in big, professional journals as first author, maybe second or third if at all.