Publication Speed and Patterns Across Plastic Surgery Journals in 2024: What Influences Timelines in Research?

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery Research
• Bibliometrics
• Publication Science

Background:

• Publication timelines in plastic surgery are inconsistent, affecting research dissemination.
• Variability exists across different journals and study types.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate publication timelines and patterns in leading plastic surgery journals.
• To identify factors influencing the time to publication for plastic surgery research.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of 2033 original articles from 7 high-impact factor plastic surgery journals (2024).
• Analysis of total time to publication (TT) and influencing factors including journal, study category, and author origin.

Main Results:

• Median TT was 8.0 months, with significant variation (e.g., PRS longest at 20.1 mo, PRS-Global Open shortest at 5.2 mo).
• Study category (hand/nerve vs. cosmetic) and author continent (North America vs. Africa) showed significant differences in TT.
• Journal, study category, and author continent were independent predictors of faster publication.

Conclusions:

• Plastic surgery journal publication timelines improved from 2018-2024 but unevenly.
• Publication speed is significantly influenced by journal choice, study category, and author's continent.