# From abstracts to published articles: Assessing the scientific publications from the annual meetings of the German Spine Society (DWG) in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022

## TL;DR

This study analyzed how many research abstracts from the German Spine Society's annual meetings were later published in peer-reviewed journals and what factors influenced this.

## Contribution

The study provides a detailed analysis of publication rates and influencing factors for abstracts from the German Spine Society's annual meetings.

## Key findings

- 37.6% of 730 abstracts were published in peer-reviewed journals, with the highest rate in 2018 (52.7%) and the lowest in 2017 (27.9%).
- Basic research and experimental studies had a 44.1% publication rate, higher than the overall average.
- Spinal cord injury and biomechanics were the most common research topics among the abstracts.

## Abstract

The annual meeting of the German Spine Society (DWG) serves as a platform for discussing the latest academic findings. This study assessed the scientific quality of these conferences by investigating the publication rate of abstracts presented at DWG Annual Meetings (2017–2019, 2022) in peer-reviewed journals and analyzing factors influencing publication rates.

How did the publication rates of the annual meeting of the DWG evolve, and what factors influenced them.

We reviewed all accepted oral and poster presentations and conducted a PubMed database search (up to 10/2023) to determine publication rates, time to publication, research type, and topic distribution.

A total of 730 abstracts were presented, with 275 (37.6 %) published in peer-reviewed journals: 27.9 % (2017), 52.7 % (2018), 39.1 % (2019), and 29.9 % (2022). A subset of 61 (8.4 %) abstracts had already been published before the conference. The mean time to publication was 35.4 ± 22.3 months. Basic research and experimental studies constituted 22.1 % of abstracts, achieving a 44.1 % publication rate. Key research fields included spinal cord injury (16.9 %), biomechanics (14.8 %), spinal oncology (8.8 %), and bone and cartilage (4.4 %), while 55.1 % covered other spinal surgery topics.

With 37.6 % of abstracts published in PubMed-indexed journals, our findings highlight the scholarly impact of DWG meetings. These results reflect the scientific quality of submissions and provide insights for future improvements to enhance the DWG's research focus.

•The DWG Annual Meeting aims to discuss the latest academic findings and assess the scientific quality of presented research.•Of 730 abstracts presented at DWG meetings (2017–2019, 2022), 37.6 % were published in peer-reviewed journals.•The publication rate varied across years, with the highest in 2018 (52.7 %) and the lowest in 2017 (27.9 %).•Basic research and experimental studies accounted for 22.1 % of abstracts, achieving a publication rate of 44.1 %.•The findings highlight the scholarly impact of the DWG and provide direction for future scientific development.

The DWG Annual Meeting aims to discuss the latest academic findings and assess the scientific quality of presented research.

Of 730 abstracts presented at DWG meetings (2017–2019, 2022), 37.6 % were published in peer-reviewed journals.

The publication rate varied across years, with the highest in 2018 (52.7 %) and the lowest in 2017 (27.9 %).

Basic research and experimental studies accounted for 22.1 % of abstracts, achieving a publication rate of 44.1 %.

The findings highlight the scholarly impact of the DWG and provide direction for future scientific development.