10-year analysis of selective dissemination in glaucoma research from major conferences to journals

Aims To evaluate the rates and determinants of full-text publication of abstracts presented at international glaucoma meetings and the impact factors (IFs) of the journals in which they were published. Methods Abstracts presented at American Glaucoma Society (AGS), European Glaucoma Society (EGS), International Congress on Glaucoma Surgery (ICGS) and World Glaucoma Congress (WGC) between 2010 and 2020 were classified by society, year of presentation, number of authors, first and last author sex, first author geographic affiliation, study design, single-centre versus multicentric design and positiveness of findings. Corresponding full-text publications and journals were identified using PubMed. Publication rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier curve, while associations with publication likelihood and journals’ IF were assessed using Cox and linear regressions, respectively. Results 6129 abstracts were analysed, with a 6-year publication rate of 40.5% (95% CI 39.2% to 41.8%). Higher likelihood of publication was observed for positive findings (HR 1.54 (95% CI 1.25 to 1.91), p<0.001), AGS (EGS: HR 0.35 (95% CI 0.21 to 0.59), p<0.001; ICGS: HR 0.42 (95% CI 0.25 to 0.68), p<0.001; WGC: HR 0.37 (95% CI 0.23 to 0.58), p<0.001), more recent years (HR 1.06 for 1-year increase (95% CI 1.02 to 1.10), p=0.01), larger research group (HR 1.02 per additional author (95% CI 1.00 to 1.04), p=0.03), multicentric design (HR 1.46 (95% CI 1.19 to 1.79), p<0.001) and male first authorship (HR 1.45 (95% CI 1.22 to 1.72), p<0.001). Multicentric design (estimate 0.69 (95% CI 0.37 to 1.02), p<0.001) and male last authorship (estimate 0.25 (95% CI 0.02 to 0.47), p=0.03) were associated with higher IF. Conclusions Glaucoma research dissemination appears selective and non-random, resulting in systematic loss of information with implications for evidence synthesis.