Do we publish what we preach? Analysis of the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow Congress publication rates

Abstract

BackgroundScientific congresses have become the most expedient method to communicate novel findings on any research topic. However, an important question is whether this information will be published in peer-reviewed journals. Our aim was to determine the publication rate of the abstracts presented at the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow Congress and analyze factors that may influence this rate.MethodsA total of 398 abstracts reported in the Abstract Book from the 2008 European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow Congress were examined and categorized by oral and poster presentations, topic, and the number of authors listed. A search in PubMed and Google Scholar for subsequent peer-reviewed publications was performed in September 2015. The time to publication after the meeting had been held; the type of journal and its impact factor at the time to publication were recorded for those abstracts that reached peer-reviewed journal publication.ResultsThe overall publication rate for the 2008 European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow oral and poster presentations was 45.20% after 7 years. The mean time to publication was 18.53 months, and the mean impact factor value was 2.32. Oral presentations were significantly better represented in journals than posters (64.40 vs. 35.40%, p < 0.001). Abstracts with a greater number of authors listed had better publication rates (p < 0.001).ConclusionLess than half of the oral presentations and posters at the 21st European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow Congress were published in peer-reviewed journals. Oral presentations with a higher number of authors had an increased likelihood of being published.

Increase in publication rates and publication bias found following presentation at the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS) biennial congress

“…Our finding that podium presentations were significantly more likely to be published than poster presentations is in agreement with previous reports from the International Society for Hip Arthroscopy (ISHA), the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow (ESSSA), the AOSSM and AANA 6 10–12. Although podium presentations may see a better fate than poster presentations, both saw over half of abstracts ultimately published in a peer-reviewed journal.…”

“…Regardless, both calculations show that the contribution to the orthopaedic literature by data presented at the ISAKOS Congress has been significant, considering that the mean impact factor of orthopaedic journals has been reported to be 1.4 30. These results are similar to those reported by Miquel et al who found a mean impact factor of 2.3 among published abstracts following the 2008 ESSSA Congress 6. The mean impact factor demonstrated in the current study is a reflection of the high volume of publications in prominent high impact orthopaedic journals such as, The American Journal of Sports Medicine , Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy , and Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery , which hold an average impact factor of 4.5.…”

“…When including those published before the conference, the average time to publication was 357 days (11.9 months). These findings are comparable to those from the 2008 ESSSA Congress where the mean time to publication was 18.5 months 6. It is important to note that 15% of the abstracts were published prior to the meeting.…”

“…Since this time, publication rates of abstracts presented at the ISAKOS Congress have not been studied despite the significant growth to over 700 abstracts presented biennially. In addition, previous studies have noted factors such as study design, subspecialty, sample size, multiple authors and non-negative studies with positive results to influence publication in peer-reviewed journals or increase time to publication 3–7. The aim of the current review is to determine the rate of publication of abstracts presented at the 2013 ISAKOS Congress and explore the influence of the aforementioned variables on the subsequent publication of these abstracts.…”

Publication rate of abstracts presented at the Australian Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting

“… 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 For international orthopaedic and orthopaedic subspecialty meetings, publication rates for presented research are between 24% and 67%. 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 …”