Expanding Options for Scientific Publication

Using a creative and original methodology, Fosbol et al1 document in the December 11, 2012, issue of Circulation that approximately one third of abstracts presented at the annual meetings of the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the European Society of Cardiology result in a published peer-reviewed manuscript within 2 years. In addition, Fosbol and colleagues report that compared with abstracts presented at either the American College of Cardiology or the European Society of Cardiology meetings, those presented at the American Heart Association meeting are more likely to result in a peer-reviewed print publication within 2 years and are more likely to appear in journals with a higher citation index. Consistent with shifting attendance rates over the past decade, the authors further document that the European Society of Cardiology meeting has surpassed the American College of Cardiology meeting with respect to eventual publication, but that the American Heart Association meeting, with its greater emphasis on basic as well as translational science, remains the meeting of choice for cardiovascular investigators worldwide. As shown in related work in this arena, factors associated with a higher likelihood of subsequent publication included basic research, prospective study design, and randomized trials.2 Though not discussed in detail, the data from Fosbol and colleagues1 also document what editors know to be true, that an increasing share of the world’s scientific …