As women increasingly enter the urologic workforce,¹ the Society of Women in Urology (SWIU) supports their professional development through an annual mentoring conference (MC). Research continues to be an important part of urologic training² and academic promotion.^3,4 As such, attempts have been made to understand what characteristics of a conference abstract lead to a published manuscript. This study aimed to determine if SWIU MC participation yielded a higher manuscript publication rate (MPR) than that of other conferences. Additionally, it aimed to summarize SWIU MC abstract and author characteristics. Other studies have found that significant factors include oral or podium presentations rather than posters,^5-7 presenting statistical analysis,⁸ and discipline,^9-12 but this has not been consistent across studies.^8,13,14 Underexplored factors include author and presenter gender, and if research presented in the context of mentorship influences MPR. Research productivity has been inversely associated with female gender^15-17 but positively associated with mentorship.¹⁶

Materials and Methods

All abstracts presented from 2016 to 2023 were retrieved from the SWIU MC website. Abstracts for 2021 were unavailable and that year was excluded from analysis. Reviewers L. K. and B. D. L. independently extracted data on study design, subject matter, institutional characteristics, presentation type, months to publication, and author gender for each abstract. A third reviewer, C. S., was used for adjudication.

Author genders were meticulously determined from publicly available institutional websites, social media, and Google searches.¹⁸ PubMed and Google Scholar were queried between November 2023 and January 2024 for author, study design, and title matches to determine publication status of abstracts. Univariate analysis and logistic regression of factors related to peer-reviewed manuscript publication were done in SPSSv28.

Results

Of 149 abstracts, 96% of presenting authors and 96.6% of first authors were female. Two abstracts were co–first-authored by a man and a woman. Abstract and author characteristics are summarized in the Table. Most study designs were cross-sectional (40.3%) or cohort studies (36.2%). Subject matter varied widely and most commonly fell outside of our predefined categories (22.8%) or were oncology related (20.1%).

Table. Summary of Abstract and Author Characteristics

Eight abstracts were excluded from MPR calculation because they had been previously published in peer-reviewed journals accompanying manuscripts. Novel MPR was 44.0% (62/141). Median time to manuscript publication was 8.5 months.

On univariate analysis, only the abstract year was statistically significantly associated with subsequent paper publication (P < .05). Gender of presenting author, gender of primary investigator, study design, single or multi-institutional study, subject matter, and podium vs poster presentation were not associated with subsequent paper publication. On logistic analysis, each year since abstract presentation was associated with 0.18 times increased odds of subsequent paper publication (P < .05).

Despite high rates of female first authorship (96.6%) and presentation of abstracts (96%) at SWIU MC, a smaller proportion of first authors on novel manuscripts were women (85.5%). There was no difference in time to publication by gender (P < .05).

Discussion

Compared to other urological conferences, SWIU MC had a higher proportion of female first authors (96.6%) and absolute quantity of abstracts presented by women (n = 149). A 10-year analysis of the Southeastern Section of the AUA noted 6.2% (n = 74) female authorship of abstracts, and 17% (n = 81) in an 8-year period at the Mid-Atlantic AUA sectional meeting.¹⁹

Our analysis revealed that while the prevalence of female first authors of abstracts is an impressive 96.6%, the corresponding figure for manuscripts fell to 85.5%. First authorship may shift due to evolving author responsibilities.²⁰ However, systematic bias may contribute—previous investigations have found a higher publication rate when first and last authors have concordant genders.²¹ The number of female trainees continues to rise—this year, women made up 45% of the incoming residents.²² However, only 11.6% of practicing urologists are women.¹ Accordingly, despite the rise in female first authorships at the mentoring conference, there may have not been a comparable increase in the number of female last authors.²¹,²³ Academic mentorship dynamics and institutional structures should be buttressed and examined for areas of improvement.

The 44% MPR falls within the 20.5%⁶ to 61.7%²⁰ range of other urological conferences. However, compared to other American urological conferences with median time to publication of 12.5¹¹ to 18.8 months,²⁴ SWIU MC’s median time to publication was 8.5 months. This shortened time to publication may be attributed partially to the mentorship context and partially to new publishing practices in which articles are reviewed more quickly.¹³

Some strengths of our study include utilizing 3 reviewers to decrease the possibility of misclassifying data. Gender was researched carefully through self-reported and institutionally reported data online. Limitations include narrow sampling, which may have missed papers that were not indexed by PubMed or Google Scholar within the data collection period.

Conclusion

Our study highlights the impact of the SWIU MC in advancing the prevalence of female first authors with an impressive 44% publication rate stemming from abstracts presented at SWIU MC. Analysis revealed that deliberate female mentorship may expedite time to publication; however, the gender of authors, study type, and institutional characteristics did not show a statistically significant influence. The impact observed by female mentors may be explained by their expertise navigating the clinical research culture, impact of the fostering of confidence in mentees, and bonds formed throughout the meeting. Notably, the unexpected discrepancy between female first authorship on abstracts (96.6%) and corresponding manuscripts (85.5%) underscores the need for continued research and action to address the gender gap in manuscript authorship. Future directions include the examination of characteristics of primary investigators and journal impact factors that influence the SIWU paper publication rate and time to publication. As the proportion of women in urology increases, examining mentorship dynamics and institutional barriers is crucial to improving gendered disparities in academic promotion and leadership.