Characterization of the Conversion of Meeting Presentation to Publication From the 2016 and 2018 ISSVA Workshops

Abstract

Objectives: Presentations at scientific conferences and subsequent publications play a critical role in a specialty’s advancement. Previous estimates suggest that about half of the content presented at conferences is not published. The objective of this study is to characterize the conversion from meeting presentations to publications from the 2016 and 2018 International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA) Workshops. Methods: The PubMed interface (MEDLINE) and Google Scholar were used to search for published works. Excluded presentations included keynotes, research letters, and education-related theses. Parameters reviewed included conversion rate, time to publication, senior author subspecialty, study design and level of evidence, journal name, and 5-year impact factor. Results: 40.43% of searched conference abstracts were published in peer-reviewed journals. The median publication time from presentation was 16 months (range −28.9 to 41.1). The most frequent specialties of 224 senior authors were: plastic surgery (21.4%), dermatology (20.0%), and radiology (10.7%). Authors published in 111 separate journals, where the majority of publications appeared in Pediatric Dermatology (5.8%). A majority of publications (51.3%) had a case series study design and were level 4 evidence. The median 5-year impact factor was 3.49. Conclusions: From the 2016 and 2018 ISSVA meetings reviewed, less than half of presentations were converted to publications. Studies were published in a wide range of journals, in alignment with specialty. A significant portion of vascular anomalies research at ISSVA that may have the potential to improve patient care does not reach a wider audience.