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Publication, but before interview?


kkala

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Hi

 

I am applying to med school this year, and it looks like I will be getting a publication by the end of the year. However, I am uncertain whether I will get it before OMSAS close, which is Oct 1 I believe.

 

Is it ok if I write "publication pending" or something along those lines in my application? I was thinking about sending an update as soon as I get published. Is this going to do anything?

 

How do adcoms feel about update letters?

 

Thank you!!

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Hi

 

I am applying to med school this year, and it looks like I will be getting a publication by the end of the year. However, I am uncertain whether I will get it before OMSAS close, which is Oct 1 I believe.

 

Is it ok if I write "publication pending" or something along those lines in my application? I was thinking about sending an update as soon as I get published. Is this going to do anything?

 

How do adcoms feel about update letters?

 

Thank you!!

 

Put it in your sketch with "submitted to JournalName" or "publication pending" etc. That'll be fine. Probably no need to send an update letter.

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ploughboy makes sense potentially.....provided you are preapred to accept the implied risk of adding this to your sketch.

 

Each of us have ongoing matters that will make us a more appealing applicant if only we could use what we will have later, now. This is life and for the vast majority of us, it is just not possible to come up with such a creative suggestion.

 

If we all updated our applications, adcoms would never reach a final decision, so updates have not been included as part of the process. Updates are for next year's application! This is life. Can you imagine if each of us updated our application b/c of new facts to consider? I don't think it would or could have any possible positive effect in the application process - nor should it have.

 

Let me play devil's advocate:

 

Just b/c "it looks like" you will be getting a publication, you are unable to predict the future, yet, you will put down "publication pending", meaning there shall be a publication.

 

Should you not obtain publication, I can argue the case that you knowingly misled the adcoms, if even on the basis of wishful thinking, and we all know the penalty for misleading or false information.

 

You want to take the benefits of something that is not guaranteed before it happens. Are you prepared to accept the risk of being considered as having misled adcoms, especially if there is no publication in a timely manner (by the time they are considering your application).

 

Presumably, you will give them the title, subject matter and as verifier, the name of the intended publisher to make your claim of "publication pending" credible, what if they verify the status with the publisher and the publisher does not confirm what you claim! To make an unsubsantiated claim such as 'publication pending' without giving a verifier is a potentiall huge risk in my uninformed opinion. After all, we are all playing on a level playing field.

 

For example, I am able to state with absolute assurance that I will have at least another 300 hours of direct patient care both in EMS volunteering as first responder and at a wellness centre where I have interned and am presently employed. These services know me, my history and reliability with them and they know these facts will be true. But, it is a stretch for me to even consider putting this in my sketch or autobiographical information (although these non-facts will help me when updated as real facts (in the future).

 

Well, in your scenario with the intended publisher disavowing you, your application is toast and you will wish that you never started this, although you will not know what transpired leading to you not being invited to the interview.

 

Potentially, you are playing with fire and it is a doubled edged sword. There is a saying, "Be careful for what you wish for as it may happen." You assume an inherent risk in pushing the envelope and it is for you alone to decide if the potential rewards offset the potential risks (assuming my assessment above makes any sense at all). I am not trying to discourage you, merely discussing the potential pitfalls for failure to be accurate.

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ploughboy makes sense potentially.....provided you are preapred to accept the implied risk of adding this to your sketch.

 

Each of us have ongoing matters that will make us a more appealing applicant if only we could use what we will have later, now. This is life and for the vast majority of us, it is just not possible to come up with such a creative suggestion.

 

If we all updated our applications, adcoms would never reach a final decision, so updates have not been included as part of the process. Updates are for next year's application! This is life. Can you imagine if each of us updated our application b/c of new facts to consider? I don't think it would or could have any possible positive effect in the application process - nor should it have.

 

Let me play devil's advocate:

 

Just b/c "it looks like" you will be getting a publication, you are unable to predict the future, yet, you will put down "publication pending", meaning there shall be a publication.

 

Should you not obtain publication, I can argue the case that you knowingly misled the adcoms, if even on the basis of wishful thinking, and we all know the penalty for misleading or false information.

 

You want to take the benefits of something that is not guaranteed before it happens. Are you prepared to accept the risk of being considered as having misled adcoms, especially if there is no publication in a timely manner (by the time they are considering your application).

 

Presumably, you will give them the title, subject matter and as verifier, the name of the intended publisher to make your claim of "publication pending" credible, what if they verify the status with the publisher and the publisher does not confirm what you claim! To make an unsubsantiated claim such as 'publication pending' without giving a verifier is a potentiall huge risk in my uninformed opinion. After all, we are all playing on a level playing field.

 

For example, I am able to state with absolute assurance that I will have at least another 300 hours of direct patient care both in EMS volunteering as first responder and at a wellness centre where I have interned and am presently employed. These services know me, my history and reliability with them and they know these facts will be true. But, it is a stretch for me to even consider putting this in my sketch or autobiographical information (although these non-facts will help me when updated as real facts (in the future).

 

Well, in your scenario with the intended publisher disavowing you, your application is toast and you will wish that you never started this, although you will not know what transpired leading to you not being invited to the interview.

 

Potentially, you are playing with fire and it is a doubled edged sword. There is a saying, "Be careful for what you wish for as it may happen." You assume an inherent risk in pushing the envelope and it is for you alone to decide if the potential rewards offset the potential risks (assuming my assessment above makes any sense at all). I am not trying to discourage you, merely discussing the potential pitfalls for failure to be accurate.

 

wtf future_doc? are you insane?

 

 

 

This lecture on "wishful thinking" makes no sense. If the OP completed a research project, and has on their application "I have completed this research project and have submitted it for publication" how is that in any way giving misinformation to the adcoms?

 

Let's say they were sure it would be accepted into X journal. The figure "my app won't be looked at until christmas, it will probably be accepted by then" so they put on their application that it was published in journal X. THAT would be a ballsy move meriting your, while incoherent, concern.

 

FYI, writing "submitted for publication" or "publication pending" is standard practice for anyone writing research related activities on their CV

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I know a girl who wrote "publication pending" on her sketch. At her UofO interview they asked her about her publication and she told them that it didn't get accepted and she's currently revising. She got into UofO and so it didn't seem to be a big deal.

 

I would put "pub pending". I don't think it would hurt you.

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If the OP completed a research project, and has on their application "I have completed this research project and have submitted it for publication" how is that in any way giving misinformation to the adcoms?

 

Of course, this is not misinformation. "Submission for publication" meaning one thing in the English language. "Publication pending" has another meaning.

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OP: just put "in review" or "submitted to...". This is the way to go when you're a prof./researcher. It doesn't imply that the article will be accepted, just that you submitted an article to a journal/conference. Also, it does not prove or disprove the merits of your article, your writing and your logic. It just tells the adcom that you think your work is relevant to be published. That's why it doesn't add much weight to an application but you might send the adcom a copy of your article for them to judge.

 

The next step, once you know an article has been accepted, but has yet to be published, is to put "in press" (but you might not reach this stage before sending in your application).

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OP: just put "in review" or "submitted to...". This is the way to go when you're a prof./researcher. It doesn't imply that the article will be accepted, just that you submitted an article to a journal/conference. Also, it does not prove or disprove the merits of your article, your writing and your logic. It just tells the adcom that you think your work is relevant to be published. That's why it doesn't add much weight to an application but you might send the adcom a copy of your article for them to judge.

 

The next step, once you know an article has been accepted, but has yet to be published, is to put "in press" (but you might not reach this stage before sending in your application).

 

There you go! Yoda is expressing the facts entirely accurately!

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Of course, this is not misinformation. "Submission for publication" meaning one thing in the English language. "Publication pending" has another meaning.

 

pending |ˈpendi ng |

adjective

awaiting decision or settlement : nine cases were still pending.

• about to happen; imminent : with a presidential election pending, it would be wrong to force the changes through now | the pending disaster.

 

"pending" does not mean its a guarantee. In the English language, they mean the same thing

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The 48 point list is such a joke imo, I still have yet to hear of a school in ont that gives it any serious consideration, it is for sure not going to save you from poor grades.

 

It should be reduced to your 15-20 most important things. Everyones time would be saved.

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NewfieMike

 

We agree to disagree. Publication pending implies it shall be published in my books. What you or I believe is irrelevant, but better and clearer wording has been suggested. Don't take this so personally, we are all on the same side.:)

 

It's not a matter of beliefs or taking things personally. We don't disagree with what the word "pending means" on some sort of personal level. You are disagreeing with a dictionary

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We don't disagree with what the word "pending means"....

 

Your dictionary discusses "pending" as 'about to happen' or 'imminent'.

 

In my view, this tends to support my view that 'pending' implies that approval is forthcoming, it's in the bag.

 

So, we are each interpreting your dictionary finding differently. But why go there, down the path of 'interpretations' or whether either of us is going down a cul de sac with interpretations?

 

Yoda has found a simple solution by choosing words like "submitted to" that clearly are not subject to the slightest interpretation, that is to say, "submitted to" is clear and unambiguous, meaning what it says without being subject to possible intrepretation or misunderstanding.

 

It seems to me the practical problem is how to keep this writing in the sketch and remain entirely accurate. And Yoda solves this problem. I would think it best to use words that cannot be misinterpreted. If I were to accept your premise that I am misinterpreting the meaning of "pending" in context, I would prefer to err on the side of caution (thereby avoiding the slightest possibility of adcom misinterpreting the word 'pending'') and use Yoda's wording - thereby being simple and clear.

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Hi

 

I am applying to med school this year, and it looks like I will be getting a publication by the end of the year. However, I am uncertain whether I will get it before OMSAS close, which is Oct 1 I believe.

 

Is it ok if I write "publication pending" or something along those lines in my application? I was thinking about sending an update as soon as I get published. Is this going to do anything?

 

How do adcoms feel about update letters?

 

Thank you!!

 

Hey there,

 

If I were you, I would definitely include it and put something like "publication submitted to..." or something along those lines.

 

You don't need to send in an update letter. If you are invited for interview, the interviewers will want to discuss it.

 

Hope this helps.

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I don't know what you mean by pending.. these are the standard statuses of papers:

 

Published

In press

Revision

Submitted

In Preparation

 

Of those, in preparation means little to nothing. If your paper is in preparation, you can still put it down, but if you do, you need to get your supervisor to write in his/her reference what stage the paper is at and how much you've contributed to it.

 

As a grad student, i NEVER list papers that are in prep, when people see them, they usually go "oh ya w/e in prep" and move on.. its not a huge thing and sometimes i've heard they work AGAINST you if you get certain reviewers

 

If your paper is submitted and you mean pending as in will get good reviews, then definately put that in, but put in the specific status, is it in revision? did you resubmitted it? etc. and again get your supervisor to elaborate on the status of the paper.

 

If anything... don't use the word pending.. look at all the confusion thats causing

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If we all updated our applications, adcoms would never reach a final decision, so updates have not been included as part of the process. Updates are for next year's application! This is life. Can you imagine if each of us updated our application b/c of new facts to consider? I don't think it would or could have any possible positive effect in the application process - nor should it have.

 

They do it in the US without a problem.

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Is it an actual headache, or is it only a pending one?

 

but the operative word from Jochi was "gave" (me a headache), so, by definition (or logic), the headache has passed the 'pending' stage and hopefully it is now over. :P

 

BTW, I have often found simple problems become complex whereas complex problems often have a simple solution. The 'pending' issue was a simple matter and so, became complex.

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I don't know what you mean by pending.. these are the standard statuses of papers:

 

Published

In press

Revision

Submitted

In Preparation

 

Of those, in preparation means little to nothing. If your paper is in preparation, you can still put it down, but if you do, you need to get your supervisor to write in his/her reference what stage the paper is at and how much you've contributed to it.

 

As a grad student, i NEVER list papers that are in prep, when people see them, they usually go "oh ya w/e in prep" and move on.. its not a huge thing and sometimes i've heard they work AGAINST you if you get certain reviewers

 

If your paper is submitted and you mean pending as in will get good reviews, then definately put that in, but put in the specific status, is it in revision? did you resubmitted it? etc. and again get your supervisor to elaborate on the status of the paper.

 

If anything... don't use the word pending.. look at all the confusion thats causing

 

 

This is the answer the OP should heed.

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publication pending the journal's (possible) pending acceptance?;)

 

Pending = waiting on hearing yay/nay.

 

Regardless, I really can't see an adcom picking reading that line and scrutinizing the applicant's figurative motives. They'll probably read "oh they have a publication. Oh wait, it's not published yet".

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