School's peer-reviewed journal count for publication?

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roarlion
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School's peer-reviewed journal count for publication?

Post by roarlion » Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:51 am

Hello all,

I am an undergraduate student interested in grad school. I have noticed that authoring publications can give applicants a leg up when applying to grad school. My undergrad institution publishes an "Undergraduate Science Journal," in which publication is highly competitive. The submissions undergo double-blind peer review as well as faculty review. My question is, how would publication in such a journal be looked upon in a grad school application? Would it "count" as a "real" publication because it is peer-reviewed, or not because only undergrads and research graduates of the school may submit to it? I appreciate any insight on this matter.

nathan12343
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Re: School's peer-reviewed journal count for publication?

Post by nathan12343 » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:48 pm

I'd mention it, I don't think it would carry the same weight as a publication in a 'real' journal (e.g. Phys. Rev. or something).

tmc
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Re: School's peer-reviewed journal count for publication?

Post by tmc » Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:05 pm

Put it in your application, mention what it is and let the admissions committee worry about how important it is

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naseermk
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Re: School's peer-reviewed journal count for publication?

Post by naseermk » Wed Jan 14, 2009 2:16 am

I was considering submitting reports that I typically write during my work (root cause analysis of chip failures) until I realized that they are confidential and disclosing them would be a violation of company IP rights.

I remember discussing this with a Physics professor @ Duke who advised me to submit such materials (didn't think of IP rights at that point). So, I think, your journal publication albeit being just an internal publication should still assist your application.

sirius
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Re: School's peer-reviewed journal count for publication?

Post by sirius » Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:38 am

If it's considered an honor to make it into the journal, it's definitely worth saying. I would definitely mention it at least as an academic honor, and if the grad school application asks for you to list publications, you should count this one. Sure, it doesn't mean as much as phys. rev., but it is a publication worth mentioning.

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secander2!
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Re: School's peer-reviewed journal count for publication?

Post by secander2! » Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:22 am

I'd definitely put it. Even if it's not "prestigious" at all, it shows that you have taken the time to write out what you did and therefore (probably) have some understanding of your research. At the very minimum, it legitimates your research in some way and shows that you did more than just sweep the lab floors.



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