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Who is Publishing in Facial Cosmetic Surgery?: A Citation Analysis Across Specialties Over Five Decades
Joshua T. Waltzman MD, MBA, Kashyap Komarraju Tadisina BS, Susan Orra BA, Huseyin Elbey MD, Colin M. Morrison MD, James E. Zins MD, FACS
Cleveland Clinic
2015-03-13
Presenter: Susan Orra
Affidavit:
The material in this abstract has not been published in any scientific journal nor has it been previously presented at a major meeting. This is original work of the residents and fellows.
Director Name: Steven Bernard
Author Category: Medical Student
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: Aesthetics
Introduction:
Competition among our sister specialties in the cosmetic surgery sphere continues to accelerate. While this trend is obvious in the marketplace, especially on the internet, how such competition has affected academia is less clear. This study's goal was to analyze the most cited facial cosmetic peer-reviewed literature over the past five decades to see if these marketplace trends are echoed similarly across the academic disciplines of Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Dermatology, and Ophthalmology.
Methods:
Using Thomson/Reuters Web of Knowledge, the top fifty cited articles for each decade from the 1970s - 2010s were identified for the topics of facelift, rhinoplasty, browlift, and blepharoplasty. Data collected included: total citations/article, primary author's surgical specialty, and journals' specialty affiliation.
Results:
For first authorship, Plastic Surgery had the highest percentage across all surgeries and time points, except for rhinoplasty from 2010-present, where Otolaryngology had a higher percentage (48% vs 40%). Observed trends demonstrated increasing contributions from Otolaryngology in rhinoplasty (p<0.05) and facelift (p<0.001) surgery. Plastic Surgery journals were the most common platform for publication across all surgeries. However, there was a significant downward trend, with Otolaryngology and Ophthalmology journals increasing in frequency.
Conclusion:
Plastic Surgery remains a strong force in academic facial cosmetic surgery. However, it appears that the competition from non-plastic surgeons observed in clinical practice is being mirrored in the area of journal publications. While marketing through the internet is powerful, marketing utilizing peer reviewed publications may also be powerful, and maintaining dominance in this area may prove to be critically important.
