How many pubs do you have?

[LadyL]

Hi everyone. I am a previous applicant to psych ph.d. programs (cognitive neuroscience research programs mostly). The main thing that has changed/improved about my applicant profile is that last round, I had maybe a couple posters and a bunch of hypothetical papers mentioned in one of my letters. This time, I have one paper third authorship, one poster first authorship, and six other poster third authorships. I am hoping to have 1-3 more papers come application deadlines, *maybe* a first authorship if I get lucky but more likely a 2nd or 3rd authorship, and at a minimum 1-3 more posters.

I guess I have no idea if this is even that big an improvement or not. I mean, my CV looks a lot less anemic, but I have heard of applicants who basically work in paper mill type labs who have a dozen paper co-authorships while applying. I guess I am wondering, if there are any people who got into programs here, how many pubs you had and how much you think that affected the process? And for applicants, how many pubs do you have/anticipate having and what feedback have you gotten about how crucial they are to your app? Also, some of my posters are different analysis of the same data, does this make them more like "fluff" and count for less?

[cupcake_phd]

i had one publication where i was 7th (!) at the time of applications last year, 2 first author posters, and a couple of other posters where i was second author. i was accepted into 4 phd programs for psych/neuro. having the publications certainly helps you, but i think what is most important is how your recommenders can lavish your hard work resulting in the posters with praise, etc. talk it up in your personal statement too! i think what is most important is not that you have posters, but that you have a thorough understanding of the scientific process and that you're able to produce good work in your research area. this should be reflected in your recs and your sop, and should (i hope!) make you a stronger applicant. if you have these things, are a good fit in your lab of choice (have contacted potential advisor, etc), and you have luck on your side, hopefully something positive will happen

[cogneuroforfun]

I had no publications last year when I applied, only an unpublished, unpresented undergraduate honors thesis that was half way done (plus lots of research experience that had not led to publications). Honestly, I don't think it matters one bit whether you have published or not, just that you have been involved in major ways in projects. Rather than focusing on your new authorships, how much more overall research experience do you have now than when you applied before?

[cheesethunder]

i have zero....

it doesn't bother me or anything at least rihgt now....

[LadyL]

Interesting point re: level of involvement in projects vs. authorship on pubs. I guess I was looking at it as the pubs validate my claims about level of involvement (i.e. that I can independently analyze data). As for how my involvement has changed - I am gaining experience on another study right now with a different scanning protocol, more involved neuropsych assessment, and a different disease process (cardiovascular) so if anything I will have more diversity of experience on my apps.

[eucalyptus]

My Masters supervisor has told me that publications really get you noticed when applying to top PhD programs. This is not to say that applicants without publications will not be admitted (especially if they are coming straight out of undergrad), but just that having some publications (particularly first-authored papers in good journals) will ensure that your application is given a thorough look. In his opinion, research experience that is backed up with publications is second only to well-articulated and closely-matched research interests, in terms of importance. He thinks it shows that an applicant can not only do research-type tasks, but can actually get results, which is exactly what you want in your lab.