Sending in writing samples/publications that are published in 'inferior' journals

[thegraydude]

Hello,

 

I will be applying to Fall, 2015 in Computer Science, PhD.

 

I have two Masters (MBA, MS). MS is relevant to computer science while MBA is not.

 

During my MS, the course was very industry oriented and kept me really busy in classes and stuff and barely gave any time for original research.

 

I do have 1 research paper published in an international journal, but to be fair, anyone who gives a certain sum of money will be able to publish in that journal. My paper, however, is original. I do not think it is an elite 'IEEE' or 'Elsevier' level paper, but it is the best I could do in those circumstances and resources.

 

My question is whether the admissions committee will be nonchalant about my publication if it is in an 'ordinary' journal? 

 

Also, I have some articles published in international magazines directly relevant to my field of study. Again, these are just industry magazines, not really 'research oriented' journals. Do you think it is OK to mention these in my application?

 

Do I stand a chance of admission in PhD programs with just 1 published paper (in an inferior journal) and some articles?

 

Thanks.

[Vene]

In the US it's not expected to have publications when going into a PhD because a lot of PhD programs will take people straight out of undergrad. As long as it wasn't published in a scam journal I think you're fine.

 

I also do think the articles in the magazines are relevant. They're not equal to a peer-reviewed publication, but they are definitely something you'll want to include.