Do I Need Publications to get a Fully-Funded PhD Abroad?

by Dr. Sriyash Mangal, PhD

Publications for PhD

Requirements of Publications for PhD Abroad: It’s a natural question to ask when applying to a PhD program: “Do I need to already have publications before I apply?”. Simply put the answer is No, you do not need to have published papers to apply to a PhD. In my career of advising PhD aspirants, I have always seen students worrying too much about not having publications. Some students even consider having publications as an eligibility requirement to pursue PhD abroad. So, do you really need to have publications on your CV when applying for PhD positions?

The answer is NO. Publications are not required to secure a fully-funded PhD position. However, the prospective supervisor or the admissions committee wants to see that you have the skills required to be an excellent researcher. Indeed, publications are a good indication of this, but they are not the only way to demonstrate that you have strong research skills. There are other things that can make up for not having any publications, like:

  • presenting research at conferences,
  • having a nicely written bachelor’s or master’s dissertation
  • internships at reputed institutes, companies, industry, universities, hospitals or any other research centre
  • having hands-on experience in techniques commonly used in your area of research interest
  • having ongoing research which is on track for publication in the near future
  • having excellent letters of recommendation

A publication on your CV (even if it’s in a different field) can help your application stand out when applying to a competitive program or make up for a weakness elsewhere in your application. But, it does not mean that students with publications on their CV have a higher chance of getting selected. Professors and admissions committee gives more or equal weightage to other factors also like your communication skills, working style, problem-solving skills, knowledge about the research area & the subject in general, character and personality, and what your teachers/ professors think about you. In addition, they pay close attention to how well you present yourself in the statement of purpose and whether or not you are able to write an impressive research proposal.

Keep in mind that every field has different a publication output. For example, in arts & humanities, a large number of students graduate from PhD programs without any publication, therefore, PhD applicants are not at really expected to have any publications. Some subjects like Biology have longer experiment times, so professors don’t mind assessing your quality of work from your bachelor’s or master’s thesis.

Rather than worrying about publications, you should focus on gaining proper research experience and learning the techniques that are used in your field. Write a nice master’s or bachelor’s thesis and engage in every research/ academic activity such as conferences and workshops that come your way. These are equally valuable ways to demonstrate that you have the kind of research experience that makes you a promising applicant.

To conclude, most universities, PhD programs and scholarship award committees will not expect a potential PhD student to have publications at the time of applications. You should, however, make sure that you emphasize in your application all the different times or ways in which you demonstrate your ability to think like a researcher. Your research proposal and statement of purpose are two such documents where you get a chance to showcase your writing abilities, communication skills, ability to think logically, and knowledge about the area of interest. In addition, your referees should also comment on how good of a researcher you are. Therefore, the success of your application is not determined by the number of publications you have, but by the quality of the application package you have submitted. This includes Statement of Purpose, Letter of Recommendations, Research Proposal, any other essay, and CV.

Author Bio:

Dr. Sriyash Mangal
Ph.D. Cell biology from LMU Munich, Germany MSc Biomedical Sciences, University College London, UK Dr. Sriyash Mangal has been mentoring Ph.D. aspirants to secure fully-funded Ph.D. positions abroad for more than 5 years. He has lived in the UK and Europe for over 7 years and completed his higher studies with 100% scholarship. He is an expert in applying to highly competitive Ph.D. programs and scholarships/ fellowships. 
For more information regarding funding opportunities and PhD positions abroad, contact our team at Road to Abroad (+91 8383050912). For more general information about studying PhD in abroad in various countries like UK, USA, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, etc visit our PhD Consultation Page.

Congratulations to our student Anisha for receiving offer letter for fully-funded PhD position at Leuphana University, Germany.

The student is enrolled with us in our Exclusive package and we provided best possible mentorship.

To know about our PhD Consulatation services, visit www.roadtoabroad.co.in or contact 8383050912.

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...

Congratulations to our student Isha for receiving interview invitation for fully-funded PhD position at LSM PhD Program, LMU, Germany.

The student is enrolled with us in our Exclusive package and we provided best possible mentorship.

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Congratulations to our student Vishwajeet for receiving interview invitation for fully-funded PhD position at University of Cambridge, UK.

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Congratulations to our student Nandini Pant for receving on site interview invitation for fully-funded PhD position at Mainz, Germany.

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The student is enrolled with us in our Exclusive package and we provided best possible mentorship.

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Congratulations to our student for receving on site interview invitation for fully-funded PhD position in Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich Life Science Graduate Program is one of the most prestigious PhD programs in the world and in EU. It involves all the major universities of Zurich like ETH, University of Zurich, etc.

The program will pay for the entire travel and lodging expenses incurred for the interview. Upon selection, her tuition fee will be paid by the program and she will also get a generous stipend to pay for her living expenses. The funding is guaranteed for the entire duration of the program i.e. 5 years.

The student is enrolled with us in our Exclusive package and we provided best possible mentorship.

To know about our PhD Consulatation services, visit www.roadtoabroad.co.in or contact 8383050912.

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Congratulations to our student for receving fully-funded PhD Offer at Leuphana University in Germany for fully-funded PhD in Statistics. His tuition fee will be paid by the program and he will also get a generous stipend to pay for her living expenses. The funding is guaranteed for the entire duration of the program i.e. 4 years.

The student is enrolled with us in our Exclusive package and we provided best possible mentorship.

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Congrats to our student for getting PhD offer letter from University of East London in the UK.

The student is enrolled with us in our Exclusive package and we provided best possible mentorship to him.

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Congratulations to our student for receving on site interview invitation for fully-funded PhD position in Dresden, Germany. The program will pay for the entire travel and lodging expenses incurred for the interview. Upon selection, her tuition fee will be paid by the program and she will also get a generous stipend to pay for her living expenses. The funding is guaranteed for the entire duration of the program i.e. 5 years.

The student is enrolled with us in our Exclusive package and we provided best possible mentorship.

To know about our PhD Consulatation services, visit www.roadtoabroad.co.in or contact 8383050912.

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Testimonial of our student who got selected in fully-funded PhD in Purdue University, University of Southern California, University of British Columbia and Alberta University for PhD in Chemical Engineering.

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Testimonial of our student who got selected in fully-funded PhD at Michigan State, Purdue and Indiana University, USA for PhD in Toxicology.
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Testimonial by our PhD Consultation Student. She got fully-funded PhD at HBRS PhD Program in Molecular Medicine (Biology) in Germany.

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Testimonial of our student who got selected in fully-funded PhD at Hanover Germany - Hanover Biomedical Research program (HBRS) for PhD in Molecular Medicine.

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Testimonial of our student who got selected for fully-funded PhD at University of Bath for SAMBa PhD Program.

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Testimonial by our PhD Consultation Student Swati Gupta. She got fully-funded PhD at UMass Amherst (photo frosted on student request).

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Congratulations to our student Shruti Verma for receving fully-funded PhD Offer at University of Florida in the USA for fully-funded PhD in Chemistry. Her tuition fee will be paid by the program and she will also get a generous stipend to pay for her living expenses. The funding is guaranteed for the entire duration of the program i.e. 5 years.

The student is enrolled with us in our Exclusive package and we provided best possible mentorship.

To know about our PhD Consulatation services, visit www.roadtoabroad.co.in or contact 8383050912.

#phdabroad #fullyfundedphd #fullyfundedprogram #fullyfundedphds #phdscholarship #phdscholarships #phdscholarshipsforinternationalstudents #phdscholarshipopportunities #studyabroad #scholarships #scholarship #phdinusa #studyinusa #phdconsultation #studyinswitzer #phdinswitzerland
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Testimonial of Shefali Kulkarni who got selected for fully-funded PhD at University of Southern California.

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Testimonial by our PhD Consultation Student Shefali Kulkarni. She got fully-funded PhD position at University of Southern California in the USA.

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To know about our services visit www.roadtoabroad.co.in

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Varun
Varun
2 years ago

Hi Sir, I have 2 publications under review, how should I write that in my CV? And would they give me advantage while applying for PhD abroad

Varun
Varun
Reply to  admin
2 years ago

Thank you Sir. I am thinking to enrol for Edit+ package to get my documents reviewed by you once. Will let your team know.

Ashima Patel
Ashima Patel
2 years ago

I don’t have publications for PhD Position. What should I do? Do you provide any document review service?

Shivangi
Shivangi
2 years ago

Hi Sir, I was wondering whether it is possible for you to go through my research proposal once?

Ashima Malik
Ashima Malik
2 years ago

Hello Sir, My name is Ashima Malik and I read your blogs regularly. I have read your publications also, they are awesome. Could you please help me in finding a funded PhD position in Germany or USA?

Dhanya
Dhanya
2 years ago

Hello Sir, I really want you to go through my application package once. My friend told me that her documents significantly improved from your inputs. Is it possible to contact you?

Raphael
Raphael
2 years ago

I have 2 publications, but I am not the first author on them. What should I do?

Gokul
Gokul
2 years ago

I have scopus indexed but Low impact factor publications. Masters in Mechanical from India with 2 years work exp.Can I get a fully funded phd in UK?

Jagjit shravan
Jagjit shravan
2 years ago

I don’t have publications but I do have 1 book chapter. Is this helpful?

Disha Manwani
Disha Manwani
2 years ago

Hi Sir, I have no publications but I have worked at various research institutes and have done research. I just graduated with masters degree 2 months back. Can I apply?

apaarna
apaarna
10 months ago

Hello sir, kindly guide how should i proceed on applying for phd (biotechnology) in Europe?

Keywords: Fully-funded PhD abroad, PhD abroad, PhD in UK, Publications for PhD, PhD in USA, Publicatinos for fully-funded PhD, PhD in Canada, PhD funding abroad, PhD in Ireland, PhD in Australia, PhD in Europe, PhD in Singapore, PhD in Germany, PhD in Switzerland, PhD consultation, 

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