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Factors associated with publication speed in general medical journals: a retrospective study of bibliometric data

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Sebo

    (University of Geneva)

  • Jean Pascal Fournier

    (University of Nantes)

  • Claire Ragot

    (Université de Lyon)

  • Pierre-Henri Gorioux

    (University of Nantes)

  • François R. Herrmann

    (Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva)

  • Hubert Maisonneuve

    (University of Geneva
    Université de Lyon)

Abstract

We aimed to assess publication speed of manuscripts submitted to general medical journals and to explore the link with various author, paper and journal characteristics. In this retrospective study of bibliometric data we retrieved 45 randomly selected papers published in 2016 from each of the highest impact factor journals of general internal medicine (n = 9) and primary care (n = 9). Only journals reporting submission and publication dates were included. The following data were extracted: first author (gender, place of affiliation, number of publications), paper (submission and publication dates, online publication, open access, number of authors, number of participants, study design, study results) and journal characteristics (impact factor, number of papers published). We computed for each paper the submission-to-acceptance, acceptance-to-publication and submission-to-publication times. We performed linear regression with random effects models to identify the associations with predictors, adjusting for intra-cluster correlations. A total of 781 papers were included. The overall median submission-to-acceptance time was 123 days (interquartile range 111, min 1, max 922), acceptance-to-publication time 68 days (interquartile range 88, min 2, max 802) and submission-to-publication time 224 days (interquartile range 156, min 24, max 1034). In multivariate analysis, online publication was strongly associated with reduced submission-to-publication time (difference: − 93 days, p value

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Sebo & Jean Pascal Fournier & Claire Ragot & Pierre-Henri Gorioux & François R. Herrmann & Hubert Maisonneuve, 2019. "Factors associated with publication speed in general medical journals: a retrospective study of bibliometric data," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 119(2), pages 1037-1058, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:119:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-019-03061-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-019-03061-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ádám Kun, 2020. "Time to Acceptance of 3 Days for Papers About COVID-19," Publications, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-10, June.
    2. Paul Sebo, 2023. "Are acceptance and publication times longer in primary health care journals compared to internal medicine journals? A comparative study of 117 high-impact journals," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(1), pages 873-876, January.
    3. Lucas Rodriguez Forti & Luiz A. Solino & Judit K. Szabo, 2021. "Trade-off between urgency and reduced editorial capacity affect publication speed in ecological and medical journals during 2020," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Minxian Zheng & Kuangji Zhao & Shikui Zhao & Yantong Zhang, 2020. "Effecting variables of journal’s ranking in forestry field," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 125(1), pages 135-151, October.
    5. Xie, Yundong & Wu, Qiang & Wang, Yezhu & Hou, Li & Liu, Yuanyuan, 2024. "Does the handling time of scientific papers relate to their academic impact and social attention? Evidence from Nature, Science, and PNAS," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2).
    6. Tsung-An Chen & Ming-Hwai Lin & Yu-Chun Chen & Tzeng-Ji Chen, 2024. "The Time from Submission to Publication in Primary Health Care Journals: A Cross-Sectional Study," Publications, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-10, April.

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