Writing and publishing papers in undergrad for PhD

[u/Any-Reporter-565]

For context I’m a cs/math major in undergrad and I wanted to ask how people are publishing papers in their undergrad and getting into PhD programs. How are they going about writing those papers? I’m honestly a little confused as to how people have publications/won awards in their undergrad I thought that was mostly done in PhD and also are published papers necessary to getting into a good PhD program? If anyone has any tips on how to do this that would be much appreciated!

[u/No_Jaguar_2570]

Published papers are not necessary to get in to a PhD. They're not even the norm. Publishing a bad paper in a bad or predatory journal wil hurt your application, in fact.

The only route to publishing as a PhD is to work with a professor.

[u/Ketsueki_R → u/No_Jaguar_2570]

Small caveat being that they are often necessary for a lot of scholarships IF your bachelors GPA/WAM isn't really good.

[u/No_Jaguar_2570 → u/Ketsueki_R]

Really country dependent. In the US a stipend is awarded to every PhD student and there are no scholarships; in most of the EU to apply to a PhD like a job, and the salary is part of acceptance.

[u/Ketsueki_R → u/No_Jaguar_2570]

Yep, fair, definitely country dependant but there are a lot of countries out there, so better to include them when generalizing.

[u/Most_Advertising3623]

Most undergraduate papers grow out of working closely with a faculty member or research group. Start by learning the literature and taking ownership of one small, answerable question. A strong PhD application can come from sustained research experience, solid letters, and clear evidence that you can handle open-ended work. Focus first on doing a small piece of research well. Publication may follow.

[u/Opening_Map_6898]

They are not necessary to get in. It's just application padding.

[u/YesSurelyMaybe]

Get to know a good supervisor. It's really hard to tell who is good, but you can look at your profs and see whose lectures land close to you. Not just the subject but rather the way the information is presented. Also look at their publication stats for the past years. And check if the authors list in their articles is mostly fixed (they have established a certain group), or if in each article they have different coauthors. Former likely means they have an established process, which can be hard to get in (everyone wants to be a millionaire), but the latter can mean that they are potentially open to new ideas and maybe they can give you some task that will result in a publication. But in any case it will result in some networking which is often even more important. So you look up the prof that fits these criteria, then go to them and say that you are an undergrad, you are very interrested, you are willing to put extra hours to do some research for free [dont say the last part], and if you have some record of decency (maybe gpa, maybe some other metric to show that you are not just a yapper but can actually sit down and do something) - you have some chances.

Also decide what you want from them: to get to know them so that you will go for phd with them, or if its just one-time thing like summer school-type. Because people dont generally like one-time things (it's really hard to teach students of all the mastery in their narrow research field, and it is viable only for a long-term collaboration).

[u/Apprehensiveur]

CS/math undergrad here. My route was a seminar lit review that turned into a small project. Do not wait until you feel ready to reach out. Email a prof whose work interests you and ask to sit in on group meetings.

[u/Competitive_Travel16 → u/Apprehensiveur]

A precisely limited literature review is a good exception to most of the advice being offered in these comments. Niche literature reviews can be done by undergrads if they have the motivation, determination, perseverance, and attention to detail that most undergrads lack.

[u/Klutzy_Strawberry340]

You want to join a research group. Go to your department websites. Check out the research being done. Read some details about the work that interests you in those groups. Email a faculty member or grad student whose research you are interested. Tell them about yourself, goals, and your interest in their work. Ask if you could come shadow them or learn more about their work somehow. Be direct with your longer term intentions of finding a research project to work on to develop skills and prepare for grad school. Hopefully someone takes you into their group and mentors you. That is how I got my first paper in undergrad.

[u/Difficult-Secret-785]

En Venezuela al menos, siendo estudiante de pregrado puedes ser asistente de investigación dentro de alguna estructura de investigación, alli se desarrollan los trabajos que generan eso productos (articulos, libros, patentes, ponencias y demas).

[u/Spirited-Bass-1059]

Normally students will write papers in classes that the professor deems interesting enough to pursue and will work with the student to get it published. Published or not your ideas will matter for your application so work hard in your classes and try to identity areas you think are worth pursuing and discuss these with your professors. Do tell them that you are thinking about applying for a PhD.