1Department of General Medicine, Christchurch Hospital, Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch, New Zealand; 2Nizwa Polyclinic, Directorate of Nursing, Nizwa, Oman *Corresponding Author’s e-mail: ibra.3sk@gmail.com معدل وتنبؤات نشر امللخصات البحثية لألطباء املقيمني اليت قدمت يف االجتماعات العلمية للمجلس الُعماين لالختصاصات الطبية اإبراهيم �شالح البو�شعيدي و جونا�س دوبو abstract: Objectives: This study aimed to examine the rate and factors associated with the publication of abstracts presented by residents at Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB) scientific meetings. Methods: This retrospective study was performed in February 2018. Two previous national OMSB scientific meetings at which resident abstracts were presented were identified, having taken place in January 2014 and December 2016, respectively. Independent searches of the MEDLINE® (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA) and Google Scholar (Google LLC, Menlo Park, California, USA) databases were conducted to determine subsequent publication of the abstracts. Results: A total of 68 resident abstracts were presented, of which most were clinical research (92.6%). Residents comprised 36.4% of the authors, of which 73.1% were senior residents. In 64 abstracts (94.1%), a resident was the first author. Overall, 15 abstracts (22.1%) resulted in articles published in 11 journals. Of these, 12 (80%) represented clinical research and 10 articles (66.7%) were published in MEDLINE®-indexed journals. Residents were the first authors of eight articles (53.3%). The median time to publication was 19 months. The presence of two or more resident authors per abstract was significantly associated with publication (odds ratio = 5.50, 95% confidence interval = 1.15–26.36; P = 0.03). Conclusion: The publication rate of resident abstracts presented at two OMSB research meetings was low; however, a higher number of resident authors per abstract significantly increased the likelihood of publication. These findings may influence policymakers to implement measures to support inter-resident collaboration so as to increase research productivity. Keywords: Biomedical Research; Graduate Medical Education; Internship and Residency; Meeting Abstracts; Publications; Oman. امللخ�ص: الهدف: هدفت هذه الدرا�شة اإىل معرفة امُلَعدَّل والعوامل املتعلقة بن�رص امللَخ�شات الَبْحِثية التي قدمها الأطباء امُلقيمني �شمن حتديد مت .2018 فرباير يف ة ال�ْشِتَعاِديَّ الِدرا�َشة هذه اإجراء مت الطريقة: الطبية. لالخت�شا�شات الُعماين للمجل�س الِعلِمية الجتماعات بحثيه معايري با�شتخدام .2016 و�شبتمرب 2014 يناير يف َعقدها مت والتي الطبية لالخت�شا�شات الُعماين للمجل�س �شابقني اجتماعني موحدة مت البحث يف قواعد البيانات ميدلين® )املكتبة الوطنية للطب، بيثي�شدا، ماريالند، الوليات املتحدة الأمريكية( وجوجل �شكولر )جوجل، مينلو بارك، كاليفورنيا، الوليات املتحدة الأمريكية( لتحديد جميع امللَخ�شات الَبْحِثية التي مت ن�رصها لحقا على هيئة مقالت طبية. النتائج: كان هناك 68 ملخ�شا بحثيا، ُجلها كانت ُبحوثا �رَصيِرّية )%92.6(. �شكل الأطباء املقيمني %36.4 من اإجمايل املوؤلفني، بحثيا. مت حتديد 15 ملخ�شا )94.1%( 64 يف الأول املوؤلف املقيمني الأطباء كان الأخرية. الخت�شا�س �شنوات يف كانوا منهم 73.1% ملخ�شا )%22.1( مت ن�رصها لحقا كمقالت بحثية يف 11 جملة علمية. كان من اإجمايل املن�شورات 12 مقال )%80( كانت ُبحوثا �رَصيِرّية من قاِعدة البيانات ميدلين®. كان الأطباء املقيمني املوؤلف الأول يف ثماين من�شورات بحثية )53.3%(. و 10 مقالٍت )%66.7( ُمدَرَجة �شِ �شمن من اأكرث اأو مقيمني طبيبني وجود اأن علما �شهرا. 19 العلمية املجالت يف كمقالت الَبْحِثية امللَخ�شات لن�رص الوقت متو�شط كان .)P = 0.03 موؤلفي امللخ�س البحثي كان من العوامل املرتبطة بالن�رص ب�شكل كبري )ن�شبة الأرجحية = 5.50، فا�شل الثقة = 26.36-1.15؛ اخلال�صة: كان معدل ن�رص امللَخ�شات الَبْحِثية التي قدمها الأطباء امُلقيمني يف اجتماعني �شابقني للمجل�س الُعماين لالخت�شا�شات الطبية قليال؛ لوحظ اأن ازدياد عدد املوؤلفني من الأطباء املقيمني ارتبط ب�شكل كبري مع معدل الن�رص. عليه وعلى �شوء ما تقدم ذكره، قد توؤثر نتائج هذه الدرا�شة على �شانعي القرار لتطبيق اإجراءات لدعم التعاون البحثي بني الأطباء املقيمني لزيادة الإنتاجية البحثية. الكلمات املفتاحية: البحوث الطبية احليوية؛ التعليم الطبي املتقدم؛ فرتة التخ�ش�س يف الطب؛ ملخ�شات الجتماعات الِعلِمية؛ من�شورات؛ عمان. Rate and Predictors of Publication of Resident Abstracts Presented at Oman Medical Specialty Board Scientific Meetings *Ibrahim S. Al-Busaidi1 and Jonas U. Dupo2 clinical & basic research Sultan Qaboos University Med J, November 2018, Vol. 18, Iss. 4, pp. e501–506, Epub. 28 Mar 19 Submitted 6 May 18 Revision Req. 5 Jun 18; Revision Recd. 10 Jun 18 Accepted 21 Jun 18 Advances in Knowledge - To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the characteristics, publication rate and factors associated with the successful conversion of resident abstracts to peer-reviewed articles in Oman. - Although the publication rate of resident abstracts in Oman was within acceptable international limits for conference abstracts, it was nevertheless considerably lower than reported rates for abstracts presented by trainees at intramural resident research meetings. - The successful publication of resident abstracts was significantly higher for abstracts with two or more resident authors. doi: 10.18295/squmj.2018.18.04.012 Rate and Predictors of Publication of Resident Abstracts Presented at Oman Medical Specialty Board Scientific Meetings e502 | SQU Medical Journal, November 2018, Volume 18, Issue 4 According to the world medical assoc-iation, investigators have an ethical obligation to make the findings of their research available to the public, irrespective of outcome.1 Although research findings can be appropriately disseminated via confer- ence presentations, book chapters and technical reports, publication in peer-reviewed journals is widely recog- nised as the preferred vehicle for scientific commun- ication.2,3 For this reason, the majority of accepted conference abstracts should ideally be published in refereed journals shortly after presentation, thus en- suring that their findings can influence patient care and inform future research.3 Furthermore, converting a conference abstract into a full publication is a marker of the quality of the conference and reflects the value of the published research to the scientific community.2,4 In contrast, a failure to disseminate research findings wastes valuable resources, may negatively affect patient care and results in the unnecessary potential duplication of research.5 Established in 2006, the Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB) oversees graduate medical education and training in Oman.6 As an accredited national body, the OMSB encourages its resident doctors to partic- ipate in research by holding workshops and courses on research methods, ethical principles and academic writing. Furthermore, successful completion of a research project—from design to the dissemination of research findings (e.g. presentation at conferences/ research meetings or publication in peer-reviewed journals)—is mandatory in certain specialty prog- rammes.6 The OMSB also provides its residents with a platform to present their findings and exchange research ideas during annual intramural scientific meetings. Previous research has extensively examined the subsequent publication rates of abstracts presented at regional, national and international scientific meetings.3,7 According to Fosbøl et al., the publication rates of conference abstracts across medical specialties ranges from 8–81% (median: 47%).7 However, research exam- ining the publication rates of abstracts presented by resident doctors/trainees is sparse.8 Moreover, the publication rate of conference abstracts presented by residents in Oman is unknown. This study therefore aimed to examine the rate, characteristics and factors associated with the successful publication of abstracts presented by OMSB residents at national research meetings. Methods This retrospective cohort study examined the subsequent publication of resident abstracts presented at national research meetings in Oman. Based on a manual search of archived issues of the Oman Medical Journal (OMJ), the affiliated journal of the OMSB, two national intra- mural scientific meetings were identified at which residents presented abstracts—the 4th Annual Research Day (ARD) and the OMSB Career and Research Forum 2016 (CRF) held in January 2014 and December 2016, respectively.9–11 Subsequently, the MEDLINE® (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA) and Google Scholar (Google LLC, Menlo Park, California, USA) databases were searched in February 2018 for peer-reviewed publications. Publications were identified using the residents’ first and last names, with or without keywords based on the title of the presented abstract. For a resident abstract to be considered published, at least one resident had to be a co-author in the corresponding publication and the conclusion of the publication had to match that of the abstract. Identification of the publications was based on independent literature searches conducted by two separate researchers, with inter-rater agreement found to be 100% according to Cohen’s kappa coefficient. The resident abstracts were reviewed to determine the total number of authors (both resident and non- resident), their genders, resident authorship order (i.e. first author versus co-author), resident level and specialty training programme and the type of research (clinical versus basic science research). For each corresponding publication, various author- and article-related data were collected, including the number of authors and resident authorship order and the year of publication, article citation rate and journal name and impact factor (IF) at the time of publication. Citation rates were retrieved from the Scopus® database (Elsevier, Ams- terdam, Netherlands). The journal IF was obtained from the Web of Science™ Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate Analytics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA). All collected data were entered into a predesigned Excel spreadsheet, Version 2016 (Microsoft Corp., Red- mond, Washington, USA). The analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Version 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA). Most of the results were presented as descriptive statistics. A direct logistic regression model was used Application to Patient Care - Failure to disseminate research findings erodes the integrity of the scientific process and may negatively affect patient care. Identifying predictors of publication of resident abstracts would help in the greater dissemination of research findings, thus indirectly influencing patient care and informing future research. Ibrahim S. Al-Busaidi and Jonas U. Dupo Clinical and Basic Research | e503 to examine the impact of certain factors on the likelihood of publication of the abstracts. The model contained four independent variables postulated to be associated with publication, including the type of study (clinical versus basic science research), resident authorship order (first author versus co-author), number of resident authors per abstract (one versus more than one) and the total number of authors per abstract. Overall, the model was statistically significant (χ² = 10.24; P = 0.04), indicating that it was able to distinguish which abstracts resulted in a peer-reviewed journal publication. A value of P <0.05 was considered statistically significant. As this study did not involve participants and was focused on publicly available data obtained from open access sources, formal ethical approval was not deemed necessary. Results Out of 214 abstracts presented at the two national OMSB scientific meetings, there were 68 resident abstracts (31.8%). Of these, 32 (47.1%) were presented at the ARD and 36 (52.9%) at the CRF. The vast majority of resident abstracts represented clinical research Table 1: Characteristics of abstracts presented by residents at two Oman Medical Specialty Board meetings in Muscat, Oman (N = 68) Characteristic n (%) Meeting presented ARD 32 (47.1) CRF 36 (52.9) Resident authorship order First author 64 (94.1) Co-author 4 (5.9) Type of research Basic science 5 (7.4) Clinical 63 (92.6) Field of research Anaesthesia 6 (8.8) Clinical biochemistry 5 (7.4) Dermatology 2 (2.9) Emergency medicine 2 (2.9) Family medicine 5 (7.4) General surgery 2 (2.9) Haematology 2 (2.9) Histopathology 2 (2.9) Internal medicine 6 (8.8) Microbiology 1 (1.5) Obstetrics and gynaecology 5 (7.4) Ophthalmology 6 (8.8) Orthopaedics 4 (5.9) Otolaryngology, head and neck surgery 5 (7.4) Paediatrics 4 (5.9) Psychiatry 5 (7.4) Radiology 6 (8.8) ARD = Fourth Annual Research Day; CRF = Career and Research Forum. Table 2: Characteristics of residents presenting abstracts at two Oman Medical Specialty Board meetings in Muscat, Oman (N = 78) Characteristic n (%) Gender Female 43 (55.1) Male 35 (44.9) Specialty Anaesthesia 7 (9.0) Biochemistry 5 (6.4) Dermatology 2 (2.6) Emergency medicine 2 (2.6) Family medicine 8 (10.3) General surgery 2 (2.6) Haematology 2 (2.6) Histopathology 2 (2.6) Internal medicine 6 (7.7) Microbiology 1 (1.3) Obstetrics and gynaecology 5 (6.4) Ophthalmology 6 (7.7) Orthopaedics 5 (6.4) Otolaryngology, head and neck surgery 5 (6.4) Paediatrics 7 (9) Psychiatry 7 (9) Radiology 6 (7.7) Residency level 1 4 (5.1) 2 7 (9) 3 10 (12.8) 4 19 (24.4) 5 23 (29.5) 6 15 (19.2) Rate and Predictors of Publication of Resident Abstracts Presented at Oman Medical Specialty Board Scientific Meetings e504 | SQU Medical Journal, November 2018, Volume 18, Issue 4 (92.6%). There were 214 authors in total, with a median of three authors (range: 1–10 authors per abstract). In total, 78 authors (36.4%) were residents, with a mean of 1.1 resident authors per abstract (range: 1–3 resident authors). A total of 64 abstracts (94.1%) had resident first authors [Table 1]. In terms of the characteristics of the residents, most were female (55.1%; P = 0.37) and in level ≥4 of their specialty/postgraduate training (73.1%). Family medicine was the most commonly represented specialty (10.3%) [Table 2]. By the end of February 2018, a total of 15 resident abstracts had been subsequently published in peer- reviewed journals, resulting in an overall publication rate of 22.1%. Of the 15 original articles, 12 (80%) represented clinical research and 10 (66.7%) were published in MEDLINE®-indexed journals (National Library of Medicine). There were 80 authors in total, with a median of six authors per article (range: 3–8 authors). Residents were first authors in eight articles (53.3%); however, one article did not include one of the residents who had been an author of the corresponding abstract. The median time to publication was 19 months (mean: 20 months), although five articles (33.3%) were published prior to their presentation as abstracts at the meetings [Figure 1]. The 15 articles were published in 11 different journals, with the OMJ being most common (n = 4; 26.7%). Information regarding journal IF was only available for two journals, which had IFs of 0.34 and 0.70, respectively. At the time of analysis, the articles had a total of 18 citations, with an average of 1.2 citations per article (range: 0–5 citations). Six articles (40%) had been cited at least once. According to the logistic regression analysis, the number of resident authors per abstract was the only statistically significant predictor of publication. Abstracts authored by two or more resident authors were 5.5-times more likely to be published in peer-reviewed journals (odds ratio = 5.50, 95% confidence interval = 1.15–26.36; P = 0.03). Other factors, including the type of research, resident authorship order and the total number of authors per abstract, did not significantly influence publication [Table 3]. Discussion Research is an essential part of postgraduate medical training; exposure to research during residency has been shown to improve critical thinking skills, stimulate interest in academic medicine and result in better clinical performance during residency training.12,13 By presenting their research at biomedical meetings or conferences, residents have the opportunity to critically discuss their findings, exchange research ideas and potentially establish new avenues for collaboration with established investigators. In addition, the process of converting an abstract into a full-text article and submitting it to a peer-reviewed journal offers residents practical experience in data analysis, critical appraisal and academic writing as they navigate the peer-review and publication process.2,14 Finally, the entire research experience, from designing a study to the publication of the findings, can be used as a measure of resident competency. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current study is the first in Oman to explore the characteristics, rate and factors associated with the successful public- ation of resident abstracts. Unfortunately, the public- ation rate of resident abstracts in the present cohort was low (22.1%). Although this rate falls within the range of reported publication rates of conference abstracts across specialties (8–81%), it is considerably lower than those reported by studies specifically examining the publication rates of abstracts presented by trainees at intramural resident research meetings (40–64%).7,8,15 Nevertheless, the relatively high conversion rates reported in these other studies may be partly explained by the fact that the examined cohorts were residents Figure 1: Time between presentation and publication of articles converted from resident abstracts presented at Oman Medical Speciality Board scientific meetings (N = 10)*. *Excluding five abstracts which were published prior to their presentation at the meetings. Table 3: Logistic regression model of predictive factors related to the publication of resident abstracts presented at Oman Medical Speciality Board scientific meetings (N = 15) Factor OR (95% CI) P value Number of resident authors per article 5.51 (1.15–26.36) 0.03 Resident authorship order 1.03 (0.08–12.68) 0.98 Total number of authors per abstract 1.20 (0.86–1.68) 0.29 Type of research 0.15 (0.02–1.17) 0.07 OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval. Ibrahim S. Al-Busaidi and Jonas U. Dupo Clinical and Basic Research | e505 from two highly sought-after programmes (the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, and the Department of Plastic Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA).8,15 Given the research-intensive nature of these programmes and the high degree of emphasis on research productivity—for example, the Department of Plastic Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital includes a mandatory research year as part of their residency programme—it is likely that residents at these institutions are more motivated to publish their research findings.8 Susarla et al. also suggested that the residents may have benefitted from experienced mentorship, as publication of resident abstracts was associated with the academic rank of their faculty investigator.8 The low publication rate of resident abstracts in the current study highlights the importance of exam- ining factors which may affect the conversion rate of resident abstracts to full publications. In the present study, the successful publication of resident abstracts was significantly associated with a higher number of resident authors. Similarly, Yumeen et al. previously reported inter-resident collaboration to be a facilitator of publication.15 Collaborating on a joint research project is mutually beneficial for both senior and junior residents, as it can mitigate certain difficulties faced by senior residents (i.e. time constraints due to clinical duties) while allowing junior residents to benefit from the guidance of their more experienced counterparts. Furthermore, the preparation of a manu- script for publication in peer-reviewed journals is often technical and time-consuming; thus, such tasks can be shared by multiple residents.14 Based on these findings, the authors encourage the implementation of collaborative/joint resident research projects to improve research productivity. In general, over half of the abstracts presented at biomedical conferences go unpublished.7 In a survey of internal medicine residents who had successfully completed a scholarly project, Rivera et al. found that time constraints and inadequate research skills were the most frequent barriers to publication.16 In many cases, residents become distracted by their busy clinical schedules and only those interested in academic medicine may be motivated to put additional effort into getting their research published as peer-reviewed articles. Other studies have implicated a number of other obstacles to publication, including a lack of research resources (e.g. research assistants or statistical software), inter-author conflicts and poor mentorship (i.e. lack of involvement on the part of the project supervisor).15–17 Future studies should explore additional factors that may hinder or facilitate publication of resident abstracts in Oman, such as the number of prior publications by resident authors or the senior author/faculty supervisor, a history of formal research training/attainment of a postgraduate research degree, interest in academic medicine as a career, the availability of research resources and the academic rank of the senior author/faculty supervisor.8,15–17 The findings of this study should be considered in the light of certain limitations. First, due to the retrospective nature of the study, the examination of other important factors influencing publication rate of resident abstracts was not possible, such as those mentioned above. Second, the sample size may have been insufficient to detect statistically significant differ- ences. However, although the OMSB office was contacted in order to identify additional resident abstracts, further data could not be obtained. Third, the mean period of time between the presentation of the abstracts and the literature search was 1.2 years, which may not have been sufficient for some residents to convert their abstract into a full-text publication. However, previous research has reported that 1.2 years is the mean time between presentation and publication of resident abstr- acts.8 It is also possible that some unpublished resident abstracts were part of larger ongoing studies. Finally, the overall number of publications may have been under- estimated, as abstracts published in journals which are not included in the MEDLINE® (National Library of Medicine) or Google Scholar (Google LLC) databases were not included in the study. However, these data- bases are the largest and most widely used biomedical databases in the world; thus, the number of overlooked articles is likely to have been negligible. Conclusion The publication rate of resident abstracts presented at two OMSB scientific meetings was low, with only one- fifth of resident abstracts subsequently published as full-text articles. A higher number of resident authors per abstract was a significant predictor of successful publication, suggesting that greater emphasis on collab- orative research projects may improve resident research productivity. However, future research is recommended to identify other facilitators and barriers to the public- ation of resident abstracts. conflict of interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest. funding No funding was received for this study. Rate and Predictors of Publication of Resident Abstracts Presented at Oman Medical Specialty Board Scientific Meetings e506 | SQU Medical Journal, November 2018, Volume 18, Issue 4 References 1. General Assembly of the World Medical Association. World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. J Am Coll Dent 2014; 81:14–18. 2. Al-Busaidi IS, Alamri Y. Publication rates and characteristics of undergraduate medical theses in New Zealand. N Z Med J 2016; 129:46–51. 3. Fosbøl EL, Fosbøl PL, Harrington RA, Eapen ZJ, Peterson ED. Conversion of cardiovascular conference abstracts to publ- ications. Circulation 2012; 126:2819–25. https://doi.org/10.11 61/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.120535. 4. Hicks RR. Transforming a presentation to a publication: Tips for nurse practitioners. J Am Assoc Nurse Pract 2015; 27:488–96. https://doi.org/10.1002/2327-6924.12228. 5. Chan AW, Song F, Vickers A, Jefferson T, Dickersin K, Gøtzsche PC, et al. Increasing value and reducing waste: Addressing in-accessible research. Lancet 2014; 383:257–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/S01 40-6736(13)62296-5. 6. Oman Medical Specialty Board. About us. From: www.omsb.org/ Accessed: Jun 2018. 7. Scherer RW, Langenberg P, von Elm E. Full publication of results initially presented in abstracts. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2007; 2:MR000005. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.MR0000 05.pub3. 8. Susarla SM, Lopez J, Mundinger GS, Lifchez SD, Redett RJ. Abstract presentations by residents at an intramural research day: What factors affect publication? J Surg Educ 2015; 72:566–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2015.01.001. 9. Oman Medical Journal. Archive 2007-2018. 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What factors influence resident research publication in the division of plastic surgery? J Surg Educ 2018; 75:409–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jsurg.2017.07.016. 16. Rivera JA, Levine RB, Wright SM. Completing a scholarly project during residency training: Perspectives of residents who have been successful. J Gen Intern Med 2005; 20:366–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.04157.x. 17. Atreya AR, Stefan M, Friderici JL, Kleppel R, Fitzgerald J, Rothberg MB. Characteristics of successful internal medic- ine resident research projects: Predictors of journal public- ation versus abstract presentation. Acad Med 2018; 93:1182–8. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000002164.