Much has been made of the increased emphasis on research productivity as a metric to evaluate residency applicants—particularly after the USMLE Step 1 exam shifted to pass-fail scoring. How do medical students feel about the shift?
A recent study of fourth-year medical students participating in the 2024 Match examines applicant views on the value placed on research during residency selection. Virtually all of the 55 responding medical students had engaged in multiple types of scholarly projects, with 93% successfully matched into residency programs.
What were their views on research as a factor in the Match process? How might their insights inform how medical students who are currently going through their undergraduate medical education training approach the research process?
Research a factor in matching
About three-quarters of medical students surveyed believed that presenting or publishing their research was directly linked to securing residency spots.
These views are backed up by data showing that medical students are doing more research, and it appears to be coming at the expense of other extracurricular experiences. Nevertheless, it’s hardly a singular factor in the residency-selection process. In determining which applicants to invite for residency interviews, program directors placed research as a midtier factor.
The types of scholarly projects medical students pursued varied, involving clinical research, community engagement, case reports and quality improvement. However, the medical students who were surveyed for the study recognized that not all scholarly work holds equal weight. In a thematic analysis of open-ended comments from survey participants, medical students noted that "the value placed on scholarly output varied by specialty, with more competitive fields placing a greater emphasis on research credentials," the study’s authors wrote.
An analysis of residency applicants who matched shows this to be largely true. Drawing from the 2024 Match, the physician specialties in which medical students reported the highest average number of research experiences included plastic surgery, orthopaedic surgery, otolaryngology and dermatology.
Quality or quantity?
The study found a nuanced perspective among medical students regarding the importance of quality versus quantity in scholarly work for residency applications: The study’s authors found that “while students generally favored quality over quantity, some acknowledged that a higher number of publications or presentations might be necessary to remain competitive.”
A professor and vice-chair of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and Health System, AMA member Kimberly Templeton, MD, previously spent almost two decades as a residency program director.
Dr. Templeton notes that students matching into orthopedic surgery on average have between three and four peer-reviewed publication.
“Despite the perception of some students, it’s also about the quality, not just the number, of publications ” Dr. Templeton said. “Do we look at papers based solely on which journal they’re published in? Not necessarily; but is the project at least somewhat novel, addressing an important or interesting topic, and with a good rationale and research design? That’s probably higher quality research.”
The University of Kansas School of Medicine is a member of the AMA UME Curricular Enrichment Program, which enables educators to assign specific elements and receive reports on student progress, track via a dashboard, send reminder emails and customize reporting options. Learn more.
A frequent residency interview topic
The study found that 53% of the medical students who matched reported their scholarly work was discussed in more than half of their residency interviews.
While medical students tend to have a good grasp of the aims and findings of their most important research, nerves can get the best of you come interview day.
“Go back and read the publication before you come to your interviews and really understand what the hypotheses were, what it was you were trying to prove and disprove, and what your results were,” Dr. Templeton said. “People get nervous, and people forget things. That’s why it’s important to make sure you are well grounded in what this research was about."
A value in starting early
The study noted that medical students touted the importance of starting research early in their medical school career, ideally before core clinical clerkships. Among the benefits of getting involved in research in the preclinical phase of learning: greater access to mentorship, more time to produce meaningful work, and the ability to align projects with career interests.
While becoming involved in research early provides opportunities to identify mentors and to explore an area of medicine, Dr. Templeton cautioned medical students against biting off more than you can chew.
“I'd much rather that they spend time studying and learning and doing well in their first couple of years to get the real grounding in medicine and then if they also have time for research, that's great,” she said.
Abstract submissions for the 2026 AMA Research Challenge—the largest national, multispecialty research event for medical students, residents, fellows and IMGs—are due July 16. Held virtually, the event offers trainees the opportunity to showcase their work on a national stage and compete for a $10,000 grand prize, presented by KeyBank.
Developing key skills
The reasons students pursued research projects, the study’s authors noted, extend beyond improving their prospects in the residency-selection process. Factors such as developing professional skills and pursuing personally meaningful topics also drove medical students’ scholarly pursuits.
Dr. Templeton touted the value of research for growing one’s knowledge base in a specialty and as way to sharpen one’s critical thinking and scientific reasoning.
“The other thing research tells us is about a student’s interpersonal skills and grit,” she said. “Are they able to work with a team and help take a project to completion? When students apply for residency, they are much better off with a few quality projects that have been published than multiple projects in progress.”
