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Quality Vs. Quantity: Analysis Of Research Profiles At The Time Of Application To Integrated PRS Programs
Christian N. Arcelona, BS, Kayla L. Haydon, BS, Kristof S. Gutowski, BS, Arun K. Gosain, MD.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Foundation, Chicago, IL, USA.
PURPOSE: Integrated plastic surgery is highly competitive, causing year-over-year increases in publication output among applicants. This study analyzes the research profiles of accepted applicants to assess the importance of quality vs. quantity in publication output.
METHODS: A list of current integrated plastic surgery residents was obtained from program webpages. Python-assisted PubMed and iCite API queries collected each resident's publications and derived metrics—total publications, mean RCR, and first authorships—up to their first residency year. Metrics were standardized to cohort means and combined into a "Publication Rating," with correlation coefficients and Steiger’s Z-test assessing each metric's influence.
RESULTS: Aggregate data from the 2019-2024 cohorts (Table 1) show increased publication metrics for accepted integrated plastic surgery applicants. Steiger’s Z-test indicated significant differences in the influences of total publications, mean RCR, and first authorships on Publication Rating. Total publications had the greatest impact in 2020, 2021, and 2023 (p<0.01), while mean RCR consistently showed less influence (p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: This study reveals that accepted applicants to integrated plastic surgery programs tend to have a high volume of low-impact publications, with first authorships also having a significant influence Publication Rating. Our study suggests that there is room for improvement in the type of research that plastic surgery applicants undertake, and that Program Directors should prioritize quality over quantity if they feel it important to consider an applicant’s publication record.
Table 1. Avg publication metrics and correlations to publication rating *p<0.01 **p<0.001Cohort Year | Total Publications | Mean RCR | First Authorships | Relative Strengths of Correlation to Publication Rating |
2019 | 2.01 | 0.79 | 0.66 | Total Publications (0.84) | = | First Authorships (0.84) | >** | Mean RCR (0.25) |
2020 | 3.13 | 0.79 | 0.96 | Total Publications (0.92) | >** | First Authorships (0.64) | >** | Mean RCR (0.19) |
2021 | 5.04 | 0.86 | 1.75 | First Authorships (0.88) | >* | Total Publications (0.77) | >** | Mean RCR (0.18) |
2022 | 4.46 | 0.99 | 1.35 | First Authorships (0.82) | > | Total Publications (0.76) | >** | Mean RCR (0.24) |
2023 | 5.68 | 1.11 | 1.76 | First Authorships (0.78) | >* | Total Publications (0.65) | >** | Mean RCR (0.27) |
2024 | 5.31 | 0.85 | 1.73 | First Authorships (0.79) | = | Total Publications (0.79) | >** | Mean RCR (0.40) |
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