Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Jul;28(4):358-69.
doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2006.10.005. Epub 2006 Oct 6.

Presentation in relation to publication of results from clinical trials

Aynur Unalp  1 , Susan Tonascia, Curtis L Meinert
Affiliations

Presentation in relation to publication of results from clinical trials

Aynur Unalp et al. Contemp Clin Trials. 2007 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Results from clinical trials are typically disseminated first by presentation at scientific meetings. An important question has to do with the role of presentation in improving the quality of manuscripts submitted to the journals as well as the effect of presentation in speeding, or delaying subsequent publication. The aim of this research is focused on presentation practices of trialists to examine their effect on the timing of publications of clinical trial results.

Methods: Six hundred and one (601) trials published in 1996 and 1997 were identified via MEDLINE using medical subject heading "clinical trials" or the occurrence of the term in the text and by limiting to publication type "clinical trial". Authors of those trials were surveyed to determine prior presentation history for the identified trials.

Results: Among the 601 trials identified, complete responses to questionnaires were obtained for 379 (63%) trials. The median time from completion to first submission of the primary results manuscript was 11 months and the median time from completion to publication was 25 months for the 220 trials involving presentation prior to submission for publication. The corresponding median times from completion to first submission and publication for the subset of trials not involving presentation prior to the submission were 8 and 19 months (159 trials), respectively. The adjusted relative hazard for publication for trials involving presentation prior to first submission was 0.55 versus trials not involving presentation prior to first submission (95% confidence interval, 0.44 to 0.69).

Conclusion: Despite the importance of dissemination of results prior to publication, investigators should carefully weigh a potential gain in quality against a potential for delay in submission of the primary results manuscript by presentation at scientific meetings. The findings of our study suggest that presentation prior to submission may increase time to publication. Inclusion of presentation dates in clinical trial registers should be considered to allow future studies investigating presentation and publication practices.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure. Time to publication by presentation category
Kaplan-Meier publication curves by presentation category are compared by using log-rank test, χ2 (1) = 21.61, p < 0.00001
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dudley HA. Surgical research: Master or servant. Am J Surg. 1978;135:458–460. - PubMed
    1. Landry VL. The publication outcome for the papers presented at the 1990 ABA conference. J Burn Care Rehabil. 1996;17:23A–26A. - PubMed
    1. Bowrey DB, Morris-Stiff GJ, Clark GWB, Carey PD, Mansel RE. Peer-reviewed publication following presentation at a regional surgical meeting. Med Educ. 1999;33:212–214. - PubMed
    1. Goldman L, Loscalzo A. Fate of cardiology research originally published in abstract form. N Engl J Med. 1980;303:255–259. - PubMed
    1. Meranze J, Ellison N, Greenhow E. Publications resulting from anesthesia meeting abstracts. Anesth Analg. 1982;61:445–448. - PubMed