Publication outcomes of oral presentations delivered at the SOFCOT annual congress between 2016 and 2024

Publication of conference abstracts as full-text articles is considered an indicator of scientific quality and research dissemination. The annual congress of the French Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (SOFCOT) is the leading national meeting in French orthopaedics. This study evaluated publication outcomes of oral presentations from SOFCOT meetings between 2016 and 2024.

Publication rates of SOFCOT oral communications would improve over time, reflecting increased research productivity and scientific quality.

Oral presentations accepted at SOFCOT annual meetings from 2016 to 2024 were retrospectively reviewed. Corresponding publications were identified through systematic searches of PubMed and Google Scholar. Publication rate, time to publication, journals, citation metrics, impact factors, and category normalized citation impact (CNCI) were analyzed.

Among 3877 oral communications, 1278 were subsequently published, yielding an overall publication rate of 33%. Of published studies, 92.3% were indexed in PubMed and 86.0% in Web of Science. Publication rates remained stable over time (p = 0.34), despite an increase in presentations after 2021. Median time to publication was 16 months (IQR: 8-28) and progressively decreased during the study period. Nearly 20% of studies were published before congress presentation. Orthopaedics & Traumatology: Surgery & Research (OTSR) was the leading publication journal (29.5%), followed by International Orthopaedics and Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy. Median CNCI was 0.74 (IQR: 0.31-1.46). Arthroplasty generated the largest publication volume, while shoulder surgery, ACL research, and pelvic trauma showed higher citation impact.

One-third of SOFCOT oral communications were published as full-text articles, consistent with other orthopaedic meetings. Although publication rates did not improve over time, delays shortened and international dissemination increased, confirming the scientific value of the SOFCOT congress.

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