Seasonality of medical student research: Does a pattern truly exist?

Abstract

Seasonal variation to manuscript submission and publication in the medical literature is yet to be carefully scrutinized. We report a lack of significant seasonal bias in relation to medical student submission to a prominent Australasian medical journal. Factors that contribute to when a manuscript is submitted may be predictable. Factors that contribute to when a manuscript is published, on the other hand, appear to be less predictable. These observations remain preliminary as the studies examining seasonal bias in the medical literature are too few and methodologically heterogeneous. A careful consideration of the implications will need to be taken into account to ensure a fair peer-review process.