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From Presentation to Publication: A Five-Year Critical Analysis of the Presented Abstract at the Aesthetics Meeting

Michael Ha, MA Cantab MB BChir1, Jonathan Anderson, BFA2, Emily Finkelstein, BSc3, Richard D. Smith, BS4, Arya Andre Akhavan, MD5, Joshua Yoon, MD4 and Yvonne M. Rasko, MD1, (1)University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, (2)St George's University, West Indes, Grenada, (3)Ross University School of Medicine, St. Michael, Barbados, (4)University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, (5)The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Goals/Purpose: Research presentations at scientific conferences is a tremendous opportunity to share current bodies of work, challenge old theories, and gain feedback from peers. However, the journey required to publish these presented works can be intensive in both time and effort, with many failing to develop into a publication. This study aims to assess the demographic features of those who present scientific abstracts at The Aesthetics Meeting and their conversion rate into publications.

Methods/Technique: A comprehensive review of the scientific abstracts presented at The Aesthetic Society’s annual meeting was completed for the five-year period of 2017-2021. This was subsequently cross-referenced with MEDLINE (OvidSP) and PubMed databases for published publications. Data was extracted in terms of the number and gender of authors, publication rate, time to publication and publication journal.

Results/Complications: Over the five-year study period, the number of presented abstracts in The Aesthetics Meeting has grown year on year, from 17 abstracts in 2017 to 89 abstracts in 2021. A total of 184 abstracts were presented across the study period, representing 714 contributing authors. None were presented in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Females represented 26% of first authors, with no significant changes over time (p = 0.7922). The conversion rate to publication remained consistent at 60% between 2017-2019. 6-months following the 2021 meeting, the conversion rate is currently 33%. Successful conversion to full-test articles was similar for both male and female first-author presenters (47% vs 47%, p = 1). The time till publication significantly dropped between 2017 (88.8 weeks) to 2019 (54.3 weeks, p < 0.0001). The majority of publications were printed in an Aesthetics Society-associated journal (60%), followed by the Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery Journal (17%) and the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology (8%).

Conclusion: The Aesthetic Meeting continues to grow in its contribution to the scientific literature, with a consistent proportion of abstract presentations converting to publications and a decreasing time till publication. However, female first authors remain a minority each year, despite demonstrating an equivocal ability to convert to full publications. Furthermore, a significant number of abstracts still fail to be published, most likely due to the more stringent review process of publications. To improve this conversion rate, the faculty and cosmetic field should support a culture to prioritise publication of presented research.

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