A Study on Neurosurgery Specialty Theses and Their Publication Status in International Journals

Abstract

Objective: Bibliometric analysis of theses can provide information on the trends and shortcomings in the related scientific field. Several studies have evaluated the specialty theses in different medical disciplines. In this study, we investigated the publication rates of neurosurgery specialty theses in international scientific journals and associated factors. Methods: Neurosurgery specialty theses completed between 2015 and 2019 was searched in the National Thesis Center of Higher Education Council database. The author, mentor, institution, thesis title, study design, and study topic were extracted. Publications of authors were browsed in the Scopus database in terms of a paper derived from the thesis. Current publication parameters of the author and mentor were also recorded. The publication status of the theses was analyzed regarding author-related factors (publication count, h-index, first-author article), mentor-related factors (publication count, h-index), institution, study design, and study topic. Results: Two hundred and sixty-one theses were included in this study. The publication rate in a Scopus-indexed journal was 26.8%. Publication counts of author and mentor (p<0.001 and p=0.027, respectively), h-index of the author (p<0.001), first-author article by the author (p<0.001), study design (p=0.009), and study topic (p=0.013) were associated with the publication status of the theses. Conclusion: The publication rate of neurosurgical theses sits above average compared to other medical disciplines. The most important factor for the publication of a thesis appears to be the academic activity of the author. Regardless, still a high percentage of neurosurgery theses have not been published, and their contribution to cumulative scientific knowledge remains limited.