Publication Barriers of Oral Abstracts Presented at the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons: 2015-2019

Abstract

The journal publication rate for oral abstracts presented at the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) is currently the highest reported for any national foot and ankle society, to date (80.7%). Conversion rates for abstracts presented at national society meetings has long served as an indirect proxy for the quality of the content presented. However, it is unclear why some abstracts ultimately fail to achieve publication. The purpose of the present study was to assess the publication barriers of oral abstracts from ACFAS: 2015–2019. Unpublished oral abstracts were procured from a database. A questionnaire was distributed to presenting authors to determine the current status of the abstract, as well as the reasons for the failure to achieve journal publication. Of the 22 oral abstracts that failed to achieve publication, 10 questionnaires were completed. At the time of the survey, none of the abstracts had been submitted for publication. An insufficient amount of time (30%), responsibility tasked to a co-author (30%), low perceived likelihood of acceptance (30%), and low perceived priority (10%), were citied by authors. The present study broadens our understanding regarding the barriers to the conversion of oral abstracts from ACFAS. Projects led by trainees accounted for 2/3′s of the unpublished abstracts; in some cases, the same author accounted for more than 1 unpublished abstract over subsequent years. The onus is on directors to ensure their trainees receive adequate research mentorship and disseminate clinically meaningful findings presented at ACFAS to a broader audience by journal publication.