Physics GRE Discussion Forums

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.

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).

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

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.

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.

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.