What Are the Publication Rates for Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy Conference Abstracts?

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the proportion of conference abstracts in sports and orthopaedic physical therapy that progressed to peer-reviewed manuscript publication, and to identify factors associated with publication after 2011. DESIGN: Retrospective publication audit. METHODS: Abstracts presented in the orthopaedic and sports physical therapy academies of the American Physical Therapy Association between 2012 and 2017 were identified. Titles, key words, and author names were systematically searched to identify subsequent complete manuscript publication. Type of presentation, section presented, academic affiliation, study design, and country of origin were explored for association with likelihood of manuscript publication. RESULTS: The number of accepted abstracts more than doubled between 2012 and 2017. Orthopaedic Academy abstracts, and poster presentations were more common (68% and 65%, respectively). Almost half (47%) of the abstracts presented in these sections during this timeframe went on to publication, ranging from 60.4% in 2012 to 32.8% in 2017. The odds of publication were greater for platform presentations (versus posters), authors with an academic affiliation, international authors, earlier years, and for experimental, observational, or qualitative studies. CONCLUSION: Abstract acceptance has increased over time. Manuscript publication of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy abstracts have also increased compared to previous reporting (24%-47%), showing progress with regard to research dissemination as measured by successful navigation through peer review. JOSPT Open 2023;1(1):34-47. Epub 2 August 2023. doi:10.2519/josptopen.2023.0005