Improving dissemination of burns research with visual abstracts, a demonstrative case
Alexander Murray-Douglass1, Elizabeth Vujcich 1Royal Brisbane And Women’s Hospital, Herston, QLD, Australia
Abstract
Purpose:
Dissemination of research following publication is often ignored by authors but with increased pressure on individual researchers to have high impact publications and good overall qualimetrics, methods to improve dissemination of publications in burns surgery research are useful. This presentation reports on a successful case of a visual abstract for rapid engagement with consumers.
Methodology:
A retrospective cohort study examining the impact of age, total body surface area and surgical intervention on mortality and admission duration after burns was published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery. A visual abstract was submitted alongside the manuscript documents.
Results:
Great feedback was received from journal reviewers on the simplicity and ease of understanding provided by the visual abstract. The example visual abstract is provided herein.
Conclusion:
Most major journals are now accepting, if not encouraging, visual abstract submission with manuscripts. Burns and Journal of Burn Care and Research are both examples of this. This approach has proven to be effective at conveying relatively complex concepts quickly and easily and is approachable by the wider public without subspeciality knowledge. The authors are excited to see greater uptake of this medium for burns research in the future.
Biography
Alex is a Plastic Surgery PHO in Brisbane. He is keen on advancing surgical research through improving surgical methodology. His specialty areas of interest include burns, craniofacial trauma and reconstruction.