Who Publishes During Residency? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Publication Among Residents in the United States
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Background/Objectives
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires US residents to participate in scholarship, but no review has pooled how many physician residents publish during training. We estimated the proportion who published at least 1 peer-reviewed article during residency and compared specialties.
Methods
In October 2026, we searched PubMed, Europe PMC, OpenAlex, ERIC, and ClinicalTrials.gov (protocol, osf.io/eupxr). AI agents screened records, two AI models from different developers independently extracted outcome data, and an author decided every disagreement against the source. Proportions were pooled with random-effects generalized linear mixed models.
Results
Of 172 included studies, 32 US studies (13,450 residents) reported the primary outcome. The pooled proportion was 59.6% (95% CI, 48.7%–69.6%). Surgical specialties had 68.7% and medical specialties 29.6%. Adjusted for data source and pre-intervention status, the odds of publishing in medical cohorts were less than one-third of those in surgical cohorts: odds ratio (OR), 0.28 (95% CI, 0.12–0.63).
Conclusions:
About 60% of US residents publish during training, but specialties differ widely, and medical specialties have the most room for improvement.
Key Points
Question
What proportion of US residents publish at least 1 peer-reviewed article during residency, and does it differ by specialty?
Findings
In 32 US studies with 13,450 residents, the pooled proportion was 59.6%: 68.7% in surgical and 29.6% in medical specialties. After adjustment for data source and pre-intervention status, the odds of publishing in medical cohorts were less than one-third of those in surgical cohorts (OR, 0.28).
Meaning
About 6 in 10 US residents publish during training, and medical specialties have the most room for improvement.
