Improving publication rates in a collaborative clinical trials research network.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical research
• Publication ethics
• Clinical trial management

Background:

• Unpublished research can lead to biased literature, favoring positive results and causing redundant studies.
• Publication bias poses risks to patient safety and resource allocation in clinical research.
• The Neonatal Research Network (NRN) developed policies to address these issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of NRN's publication policies on abstract publication rates.
• To assess the impact of manuscript completion requirements on research dissemination.
• To determine if NRN's strategies improved the rate of publishing presented abstracts.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of NRN data from 1991 to 2015.
• Comparison of abstract publication rates before and after policy implementation in 2003 and 2010.
• Tracking of abstracts from presentation to final publication.

Main Results:

• The NRN achieved an overall abstract publication rate of 78%.
• Publication rates within two years increased from 31% (1990-2002) to 49% (2003-2009) after the manuscript policy.
• Following a 2010 initiative, the publication rate further rose to 64%.

Conclusions:

• NRN's comprehensive publication policies effectively increased abstract publication rates.
• Investigator accountability and abstract tracking are key to overcoming publication bias.
• The NRN's approach surpassed reported publication rates, enhancing biomedical literature integrity.