In 2025, How Many Publications for Residency? (By Specialty)

Research is a major component of any successful residency application, and the number of research items you have plays a significant role in determining your competitiveness as an applicant. 

With many programs and board exams transitioning to pass/fail, traditional hard metrics are being prioritized less, which means admissions committees are looking deeper into the other components of your application, particularly your research experience. This increasing focus on an applicant’s soft components has led to a steady rise in the number of research items you need to stand out. 

But just how many research items do you need to be successful, and how does that change based on your chosen specialty? 

In this post, we break down the average research items of successful residency applicants by specialty so that you know exactly what’s expected of you, depending on the medical path you choose. 

How Many Publications for Applying to Residency? 

The number of research items you need to be a successful residency candidate varies wildly depending on your chosen specialty, from as low as 4 to nearly 40.

The average number of publications, abstracts, and presentations for residency applicants is around 11.2.

However, this average paints a far from accurate picture. If you’re applying to neurosurgery or plastic surgery, this average number of 11.2 will be far lower than what’s expected of you.

In 2024, the average research items of successful neurosurgery residency applicants totaled 37.4, whereas the average research items of successful family medicine applicants totaled 4.2.

That’s a massive difference. If you have your heart set on a specific specialty, it’s imperative that you do your research—pun intended—to see how you can best stand out to residency admissions committees.

What Qualifies as a Research Item?

Research items include publications, abstracts, and presentations.

While all three are valuable, publications hold the most weight, especially if they appear in peer-reviewed, high-impact factor journals. Abstracts and presentations also strengthen an application, but because they are easier to achieve, they carry less weight with admissions committees.

Beyond just accumulating research experiences, having a balanced portfolio across different types of studies is important. Research projects can be categorized by complexity and impact.

Case-based Research is the simplest category, including case reports and case series.

Literature-based Reviews, which range from narrative reviews, being the easiest, to systematic reviews, being more complex, to meta-analyses, which are the most complex.

Third are observational studies, including cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies, which require access to patient data and analytical skills.

And finally, experimental & interventional research, the most rigorous category, featuring randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies.

Additional study types exist, but for an in-depth discussion—including the pros, cons, and strategies for getting involved—check out the Med School Insiders Ultimate Research Course.

Since each research type varies in feasibility, meaning how easy it is to conduct, and impact, meaning how valuable it is in the scientific community, the key to a strong research profile is balancing feasibility, impact, and variety. The quality of your study also influences where your research gets published, which, in turn, affects its value on your CV.

A few highly impactful publications can be impressive, but targeting ultra-high-impact journals like Nature requires significant time and effort with no guarantee of acceptance. Instead, a strategic approach focuses on producing a high number of medium-impact publications rather than only chasing top-tier journals.

However, avoid prioritizing quantity over quality—a high volume of weak research won’t impress admissions committees. Instead, aim for a diverse and well-rounded research portfolio with substantial, medium-impact studies across different research types.

Research Items by Medical Specialty

There are the average research items of medical students separated by specialty.

Are Research Items Increasing?

The average number of research items of matched applicants continues to increase each cycle. That said, this increase could be major or minor, depending on the specialty.

For example, the average research items of successful plastic surgery applicants was 19.1 in 2020, compared to 34.7 in 2024. An increase of over 15 research items in only 4 years is significant, considering how difficult each research item can be to achieve. Neurosurgery increased similarly, by 14 items from 23.4 in 2020 to 37.4 in 2024.

Even the least competitive specialties continue to see an increase in average research items from year to year, with family medicine moving from 3.3 in 2020 to 4.2 in 2024, pediatrics from 4.9 to 6.9, and psychiatry from 5.6 to 7.5.

In every instance, aside from radiation oncology, the average number of research items increased each time match data was released, and often dramatically.

Research items consistently play a huge role in a candidate’s ability to match into their desired program—no matter how competitive it is.

Let’s take a closer look at the data:

Why Is Research So Important to Residency Programs?

Research items, consisting of publications, abstracts, and presentations, consistently play a huge role in a candidate’s ability to match into their desired program—no matter how competitive it is.

Research is a soft component that continues to differentiate residency candidates. What’s great for those who prioritize and invest in research is that it’s the only extracurricular that carries over. All publications from even before medical school count when you apply to residency.

And that’s how the team behind the research course earned over 60 research items each before graduating from medical school.

Research is brutal when you first start. It’s complicated, overwhelming, and time intensive. Most students have no idea where to begin. And because it’s so painful, many people avoid it altogether.

But here’s the reality—every research superstar started exactly where you are now. Confused. Frustrated. Stuck. The more you push through, the easier it gets. As you keep upgrading your skillset over the years, you might eventually get to the point, like I did, where you begin to enjoy it.

Whether you’re just starting out in research or looking to master more advanced research skills, the Med School Insiders Ultimate Premed & Medical Student Research Course will meet you where you are and help you maximize your potential as a more competitive medical school or residency applicant.

The course will enable you to publish more in less time, build a research team, present your work with confidence, and so much more, including advanced tactics you won’t find anywhere else because we innovated them.

We’ll show you how it’s done step by step so that you not only master research but also learn to enjoy it, too. Our course has over 75 video modules, templates and resources, as well as exclusive private community access to lift your research game to the highest possible level.

We’re so confident you’ll find tremendous value that it comes with a money-back guarantee. Try the course today at no risk.