Abstract Presentation at Multiple Veterinary Surgery Conferences and the Impact on Publication Rate

Introduction: The impact of abstract presentation at multiple veterinary conferences is unknown. The objectives of this study were to compare the publication rate (PR) and report descriptive findings from abstracts presented at the Veterinary Orthopedic Society (VOS), the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS), and those presented at both. Descriptive findings were reported. We hypothesized that abstracts presented at multiple conferences would have a higher PR than those presented at a single conference.

Materials and Methods: All VOS and ACVS conference abstracts were reviewed (2001–2010). The PR was evaluated and compared between three groups: abstracts presented at (1) VOS (n = 767); (2) ACVS (n = 1,395); and (3) VOS + ACVS (n = 120).

Results: No differences were found between the PR of VOS + ACVS abstracts as compared with VOS or ACVS; however, the PR of VOS abstracts was significantly lower than that of ACVS. The majority of abstracts from all groups were of a low level of evidence. Once presented, most VOS + ACVS abstracts took <10 months to be submitted and <19 months to be published. Dog (38%), cadaveric (28%), and equine (13%) studies were the most common. Publication occurred most frequently in veterinary surgery (49%), AJVR (13%), JAVMA (10%), and VCOT (10%).

Discussion/Conclusion: This study found that a limited number of abstracts were presented at both VOS and ACVS, and the PR was not significantly different between those presented at only VOS or ACVS—rejecting our hypothesis. Interestingly, those presented at ACVS (66%) had a significantly higher PR as compared with those at VOS (47%). This study has provided the initial comparison between abstracts presented at two veterinary surgical conferences. Further research is warranted.

Acknowledgment: There was no proprietary interest/funding for this project.