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For context, I am currently pursuing my masters degree in Computer Science in Europe. My thesis is in a field that I have a lot of experience in and would like to pursue further as a doctoral student in Germany. Unfortunately, I currently do not have publications with regards to this field, yet, since I'm still completing my thesis.

My only publication was from my BS in Computer Science in a less theoretical and unrelated field. It came from my thesis and was published in a low impact conference.

I worry that writing this on my CV would detract from my actual experiences and skills. In your opinion, would an unrelated publication and bachelor's thesis help in PhD applications?

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    I’m not familiar with the field of computer science, so this may not apply to you at all, but within the humanities, having your Bachelor thesis presented and published, even at a low-impact conference, is quite a rare thing that says a lot about your abilities; even MA theses rarely lead directly to publications. I also wouldn’t call BS in Computer Science irrelevant or unrelated. Had it been a BA in Mongolian folk music, that would have been unrelated, but a BS and publication within the same general field as you’re applying for is quite relevant, even if it’s from a different subfield. Commented Oct 29 at 11:00
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    To add to the excellent answers. Your pub seems to be in applied computer science and you're looking at PhD positions in more theoretical CS. That is not unrelated. I would consider a BSc in, say, dance therapy, to be unrelated to computer science. And still I would agree with both answers: showing you successfully published even in an unrelated field is a huge positive for a PhD application. Commented Oct 29 at 13:57
  • @penelope Thanks for this. To add context, the BSc subfield is AI in education while my current interests are in algorithmics and optimization. I have decided to add the publication and thesis to my CV, given that everyone had said that it would be helpful! Commented Oct 30 at 11:12

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While my experience is in the US, where listing all education is a requirement, it seems to me that you have it backwards here. Any research experience is likely to be seen as a plus, whatever the subfield.

And, as you say, you have little to show in your preferred area.

While a minor publication in an unrelated field might be irrelevant if the research process is completely different, it does show that you have some sense about what research entails. Having some experience in the wider field can also be seen as a plus.

You don't enter a doctoral program to prove that you don't need a doctorate.

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You are looking at this the wrong way. Unless you have dozens of Bachelor theses and publications, these aren’t your irrelevant Bachelor thesis and publication – these are your only Bachelor thesis and publication. Picking and choosing to optimise isn’t appropriate when you cannot pick and choose.

So definitely include them when you apply for a PhD. Any publication is a bonus over none. Any bachelor is a bonus over none.

Skipping out on the publication is going to harm you because just having any publication sets you apart. No one realistically expects you to magically having done PhD-level research before having done a PhD.
And skipping out on the Bachelor thesis is going to hurt you because, really, it’s going to raise the question just what exactly you did do then.

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ANY publication or conference presentation will be considered beneficial as it shows the person has actually finished a unit of work and can actually write and present.

UNLESS the subject was along the lines of "Prospects for future eugenics" or such.

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