1st author or 3rd author for my primary research project in medical school?

[alrightythen]

I essentially have the choice of either being 1st author on a research project (probably a literature review or a case series) or being 3rd author on a project that is probably more impactful in the field I'm interested in.

Should I go for the 1st author publication? Really struggling with this decision.

[frenchpress]

5 hours ago, alrightythen said:

I essentially have the choice of either being 1st author on a research project (probably a literature review or a case series) or being 3rd author on a project that is probably more impactful in the field I'm interested in.

Should I go for the 1st author publication? Really struggling with this decision.

Do the thing you’re more interested in. CaRMS is a crapshoot anyways. 

[shikimate]

go for the one more relevant to your specialty of choice, could help you later on when it comes to fellowship or academic jobs.

[alrightythen]

49 minutes ago, shikimate said:

go for the one more relevant to your specialty of choice, could help you later on when it comes to fellowship or academic jobs.

they're both in my speciality (IM) and both within my subspecialty of interest.

[Labqiwi]

Do both?

[alrightythen]

20 minutes ago, Labqiwi said:

Do both?

Not enough time

[Galaxsci]

I'd lean to the first author. Depending on the paper/lab, third authors could have done anything from being an integral part of the entire study to helping edit the paper a bit and do some of the tables. As such, some people don't view middle authorships as being worth all that much, especially in comparison to a first author, regardless of the quality of the journal each is published in (unless we're talking JAMA/NEJM or the like).