Abstract
Objectives Scientific abstracts are a common method for disseminating new research. There is
no information on the publication rate of orthopaedic surgery abstracts presented
at the annual Veterinary Orthopedic Society (VOS) Conference. The objectives of this
study were to document the publication rate, the publication timeline and the level
of evidence (LoE) of abstracts presented at an annual orthopaedic meeting.
Study Design All conference abstracts from the 2001 to 2014 annual VOS meeting were reviewed,
and final publication was determined through a comprehensive bibliographic search.
Results Over 14 conferences, 1,112 scientific abstracts were presented with an overall publication
rate of 47%. The majority of abstracts had low LoE scores, and those abstracts were
published less timely than ones with higher LoE scores. Once presented, most abstracts
took 1 year to be submitted and 2 years to be published. Dog (45%) and ex vivo (19%) studies were the most common. Publication occurred most frequently in Veterinary Surgery (40%), Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology (17%) and the American Journal of Veterinary Research (12%).
Conclusion The publication rate for abstracts presented at the annual VOS meeting is lower than
those from a more generalized veterinary surgery conference. Publication occurs most
frequently in a select group of journals, and the subject matter is limited in scope
with a focus on dog and ex vivo studies. Overall, most abstracts presented at VOS contain a lower LoE.
Keywords
publication rate - abstracts - evidence-based medicine - Veterinary Orthopedic Society
