Submitted Works in Plastic Surgery Residency Applications: Longitudinal Trends and Publication Outcomes

Applicants to increasingly competitive Integrated Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS) lists scholarly works at multiple stages, including "submitted." The eventual outcomes of these submitted works remain poorly characterized. This study evaluated longitudinal trends in submitted research among PRS applicants and assessed whether submitted works reflect genuine scholarly engagement or inflated reporting.

A retrospective review was conducted of all applicants to a single PRS residency program from 2015 to 2023. Demographic, academic, and research productivity data were collected. Submitted journal articles/abstracts were verified for eventual publication using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Embase. Primary outcomes were the mean number of submitted works per applicant per year and the proportion ultimately published.

Among 2098 applicants, the mean numbers of total publications, first-author publications, conference presentations, and submitted manuscripts increased significantly over time (all P <0.001). Both the number of submitted works ( P <0.001) and the proportion published ( P =0.006) increased over the study period. In 2015, only International Medical Graduate (IMG) status was found to correlate with an increased number of submitted works ( P <0.001); this association was no longer present in 2023. In 2023, higher USMLE Step 1 scores, Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) membership, greater total publications, and more conference presentations were associated with increased submitted works. In both 2015 and 2023, these applicant characteristics were not significantly associated with publication success.

Growth in submitted manuscripts among PRS applicants reflects genuine and increasingly successful scholarly engagement rather than systematic misrepresentation. Consideration of submitted works remains appropriate in evaluating the applicant's research productivity.