Prevalence of Research Publication Misrepresentation among Urology Residency Applicants and Its Effect on Match Success

Abstract Objectives To report the prevalence of research misrepresentation among urology residency applicants and assess its effect on match success. Methods All applications to the Columbia University urology residency program for the 2014- 2015 match cycle were reviewed. “In-press,” “accepted,” an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urology (Ridgewood, N.J.) N.J.), 2017-01, Vol.99, p.5-9
Main Authors: Pak, Jamie S, Pagano, Matthew J, Cooper, Kimberly L, McKiernan, James M, Badalato, Gina M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Urology
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Summary:Abstract Objectives To report the prevalence of research misrepresentation among urology residency applicants and assess its effect on match success. Methods All applications to the Columbia University urology residency program for the 2014- 2015 match cycle were reviewed. “In-press,” “accepted,” and “submitted” manuscripts were verified using PubMed, Google Scholar, and journal websites. Misrepresentation for “in-press” and “accepted” manuscripts was defined as: 1) nonexistent manuscript, 2) non-authorship of existent manuscript, 3) self-promotion to a higher author rank, and/or 4) existent manuscript in a non-peer-reviewed publication. Logistic regression was performed to identify associated factors of misrepresentation and of match success. Results Of 257 applicants, 204 (79.4%) reported 1098 total manuscripts and 142 (55.3%) reported 371 unpublished manuscripts. About 5% (13/257) of applicants misrepresented one or more publications: 10 listed nonexistent manuscripts, one listed a publication for which s/he was listed a lower author rank than reported, one listed an accepted manuscript in a non-peerreviewed publication and for which s/he was not listed as an author, and one listed four in-press manuscripts in a non-peer-reviewed publication. Only 55.8% (139/249) of “submitted” manuscripts were published within 12 months, with 41% (51/139) published in a journal of a lower impact factor than the reported journal of submission. Higher number of unpublished manuscripts was associated with misrepresentation. Higher Step 1 score, number of away subinternships, and publication ratio were associated with match success. Conclusions Research misrepresentation is a persistent issue in urology residency applications. However, misrepresentation in this cohort did not confer a significant advantage in match success.
ISSN:0090-4295
1527-9995
DOI:10.1016/j.urology.2016.08.055