title: Conversion of Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine abstract presentations to manuscript publications.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to evaluate the rate of conversion of Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) annual meeting abstract presentations to full manuscript publications over time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Full manuscript publications corresponding to all SMFM oral abstracts 2003 through 2010 inclusive, and SMFM poster abstracts in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009 were manually searched in PubMed. An abstract was considered to "match" a full publication if the abstract and publication titles as well as main methods and results were similar and the abstract first author was a publication author. In cases of uncertainty, the abstract-publication match was reviewed by a second physician researcher. Time to publication, publication rates over time, and publication rates among US vs non-US authors were examined. PubMed identification numbers were also collected to determine if >1 abstract contributed to a manuscript. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum, analysis of variance, t test, and logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 3281 abstracts presented at SMFM over the study period, including 629 orals (63 main plenary, 64 fellows plenary, 502 concurrent), were reviewed. Of 3281, 1780 (54.3%) were published, generating 1582 unique publications. Oral abstracts had a consistently higher rate of conversion to publications vs posters (77.1% vs 48.8%, P < .001). The median time to publication was 19 (interquartile range, 9-36) months, and was significantly shorter for orals vs posters (11 vs 21 months, P < .001). Over the study period, rates of publication of orals remained constant, but rates of publication of posters were lower in 2007 and 2009 compared to 2003 and 2005. Publications related to SMFM abstracts were published in 194 different journals, most commonly American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (39.8%), Obstetrics and Gynecology (9.7%), and Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (6.5%). Publication rates were higher if the abstract's first author was affiliated with a non-US institution (64.8% vs 51.1%, P < .001) and if the abstract received an award (82.7% vs 53.3%, P < .001). In regression models, oral presentation at SMFM, first author affiliation with a non-US institution, submission for American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology SMFM special issue, and year of abstract presentation at SMFM were associated with full manuscript publication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From 2003 through 2010, full manuscript publication rates of SMFM abstracts were high and consistent, and time to publication decreased/improved across the study period for oral presentations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT; Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC; for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Publications Committee, Washington, DC. Electronic address: tmanuck@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Tracy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Manuck
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT.
authors.forename: Kelli
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barbour
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT.
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Janicki
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX; for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Publications Committee, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Sean C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Blackwell
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA; for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Publications Committee, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Berghella
mesh_terms: D000043:Abstracting and Indexing; D015706:Bibliometrics; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D009359:Neonatology; D009774:Obstetrics; D011643:Publishing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012955:Societies, Medical
keywords: Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine; abstract presentation; annual meeting; peer-reviewed publication