Listing "in preparation" papers

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sterculus
Posts: 116
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 2:16 am

Listing "in preparation" papers

Post by sterculus » Wed Dec 03, 2008 1:29 pm

In addition to the two papers listed on my profile (in the 2009 thread) I'm currently working on two more first author publications that unfortunately won't be submitted for another 1-3 months. I already have some sections written, but we're still working on the analysis for a part or two on each. Do you guys think it's ok to list them on my CV/applications as "in preparation, estimated submission (whenever)", or is that frowned upon by admissions committees?

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twistor
Posts: 1529
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 2:47 pm

Re: Listing "in preparation" papers

Post by twistor » Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:53 pm

Yes.

admissionprof
Posts: 369
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 7:50 pm

Re: Listing "in preparation" papers

Post by admissionprof » Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:54 pm

That's perfectly ok. If you know what journal it will be submitted to, you can also list that. Make sure to list co-authors.

SamBam77
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 12:03 pm

Re: Listing "in preparation" papers

Post by SamBam77 » Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:41 pm

This is something I was wondering about as well since I have several papers which are on the brink of submission but are not quite there yet (they are already written but I am not in control of when to submit).

I was reluctant to list them since merely having papers “in preparation” does not really say that much. Anyone could write a paper, it is getting it accepted for publication which is the big accomplishment.

But at the undergraduate level, having publications to show that your research is actually making progress on important topics is a major plus. So, personally, I draw the line at the submission stage for listing papers on my CV (although I would very briefly mention papers which are in the advanced ‘in-preparation’ stage in my personal statement); it shows that you are getting results and following the proper steps in the research process even if you are not fortunate enough to have something actually published.

But then again, admissionprof’s comment would seem to indicate my reasoning is a bit too restrictive.

tmc
Posts: 111
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2008 1:40 pm

Re: Listing "in preparation" papers

Post by tmc » Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:48 pm

Ultimately, you want to list as much stuff that will make you look good, as long as you're honest about everything and not misleading them.

stardust
Posts: 109
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:15 pm

Re: Listing "in preparation" papers

Post by stardust » Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:49 pm

The professors due that on their grant updates to the grant agencies all the time, i.e.
say a paper is in preparation. If they can do it, so can we.

sterculus
Posts: 116
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 2:16 am

Re: Listing "in preparation" papers

Post by sterculus » Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:17 am

Thanks for the responses everybody. I figured that it would probably be fine, but wanted to make sure I wasn't committing some sort of application faux pas.



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