09-05-2021, 10:47 PM
I don’t think there’s much of a difference between 3 or 6 pubs; you just don’t want to have zero which is a red flag and will probably get you screened out of a lot of places. For the majority of programs 3 would be fine and shows you were involved with your neurosurgery department for at least a couple years prior to applying. Having even just a few publications on your application shows commitment to neurosurgery which is one of the main things PDs are trying to identify during interviews. Regarding what is a “solid” pub, honestly there are basic science articles in high impact journals, and then everything else. Some may disagree, but I don’t see much difference between a second author JNS paper and a case report in a crap journal, just because as a med student you’re unlikely to be the intellectual driving force behind these projects. Long story short, personality, fit, etc are going to matter much more than having a couple extra pubs on your CV.
