title: Publish or perish? A survey of abstracts accepted for meetings of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and subsequently published.
abstract: Publications are important for all surgeons, including those practising oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS). The results of relevant research are usually presented at the annual scientific meetings of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS). The aim of this study was to find out how many abstracts that were accepted for presentation at the BAOMS go on to be published. Lists of abstracts accepted at BAOMS meetings 2002-2006 were obtained, and a thorough search was made for each article using the web-based search engine PubMed. Related publications were recorded. A total of 623 abstracts were accepted, of which only 147 (24%) resulted in peer-reviewed publication. Compared with clinical studies, scientific research was in the minority, but was more likely to appear in print and in journals with higher impact factors. Units with senior academic input had better records of publication. Currently only a small fraction of studies deemed worthy of presentation at the BAOMS become publications. This conversion from presentation to print is facilitated by strong academic support. Exposing trainees in OMFS training posts to basic research training might improve their ability to publish.
authors.affiliation: Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Barts & The London NHS Trust, United Kingdom. jcollier@nhs.net
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.forename: Navin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vig
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hammond
mesh_terms: D000043:Abstracting and Indexing; D000818:Animals; D003226:Congresses as Topic; D018865:Dental Research; D035081:Editorial Policies; D006801:Humans; D055811:Journal Impact Factor; D017712:Peer Review, Research; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D011643:Publishing; D012953:Societies, Dental; D013515:Surgery, Oral; D006113:United Kingdom