Understanding the components of publication success: a survey of academic award recipients

This study examines predictors of publication number in career development awardees. We examined whether daily writing predicted publication number among junior faculty.

We surveyed 94 career development awardees; the survey consisted of 28 questions in four domains: characteristics, environment, writing practices, and attitudes about writing.

Variables that contributed positively to publication number included male gender and those with a negative effect were clinical research and perceiving the need to write as a requirement for advancement. In subgroup analysis of junior faculty, a habit of writing daily was predictive of greater publication numbers.

Career development awardees published more first-authored manuscripts if they were male, were involved in nonclinical research, and did not perceive writing as a requirement for advancement. These factors highlight the need to explore the lower overall publication productivity in women and in clinical investigators. Junior faculty members that write daily publish more manuscripts, regardless of gender, research type, or motivators. The benefits of daily writing warrant direct study if not empiric implementation.