title: Improving publication rates in a collaborative clinical trials research network.
abstract: Unpublished results can bias biomedical literature, favoring positive over negative findings, primary over secondary analyses, and can lead to duplicate studies that unnecessarily endanger subjects and waste resources. The Neonatal Research Network's (NRN) publication policies for approving, reviewing, and tracking abstracts and papers work to combat these problems. In 2003, the NRN restricted investigators with unfinished manuscripts from proposing new ones and in 2010, urged authors to complete long-outstanding manuscripts. Data from 1991 to 2015 were analyzed to determine effectiveness of these policy changes. The NRN has achieved an overall publication rate of 78% for abstracts. For 1990-2002, of 137 abstracts presented, 43 (31%) were published within 2 years; for 2003-2009, after the manuscript completion policy was instituted, of 140 abstracts presented, 68 (49%) were published within 2 years. Following the effort in 2010, the rate increased to 64%. The NRN surpassed reported rates by developing a comprehensive process, holding investigators accountable and tracking abstracts from presentation to publication.
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, NICHD Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch, 6710B Rockledge Drive, 2321B, Bethesda, MD 20817. Electronic address: archerst@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Stephanie Wilson
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Archer
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
authors.forename: Waldemar A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Carlo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Hospital, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO.
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Truog
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto, CA.
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto, CA.
authors.forename: Krisa P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Van Meurs
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; Division of Neonatology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH.
authors.forename: Pablo J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Social, Statistical and Environmental Sciences Unit, RTI International, Rockville, MD.
authors.forename: Abhik
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology and Developmental Biology, University of California-Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Uday
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Devaskar
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH.
authors.forename: Leif D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Nelin
authors.affiliation: Social, Statistical and Environmental Sciences Unit, RTI International, Rockville, MD.
authors.forename: Carolyn M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Petrie Huitema
authors.affiliation: Social, Statistical and Environmental Sciences Unit, RTI International, Rockville, MD.
authors.forename: Margaret M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, NICHD Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch, 6710B Rockledge Drive, 2321B, Bethesda, MD 20817.
authors.forename: Rosemary D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Higgins
mesh_terms: D001319:Authorship; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D035081:Editorial Policies; D006801:Humans; D009359:Neonatology; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011643:Publishing / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012196:Review Literature as Topic
keywords: Authorship policies; Network collaboration; Publication rates