Abstract This study investigated the characteristics and publication patterns of consultant vascular surgeons in the United Kingdom, focusing on their single-author publications. A list of all vascular surgeons working in the UK was used (N = 302), with gender, name characteristics, educational and bibliometric factors sourced from online platforms. On average, UK vascular surgeons authored 1.5 single-author publications. Of these 439 single-author publications, (a) approximately 44% were open access, (b) most were articles or notes, and (c) they received an average of 21.9 non-self-citations. The mean time between medical school graduation and their first single-author publication was 14.2 years. Full professors typically published their first single-author publication 8.5 years before their promotion. Factors associated with more single-author publications included being white, obtaining a medical degree from a top university, holding a PhD, being currently affiliated with a university, being full professors, starting publishing early, obtaining a PhD early, and becoming a full professor early following medical school graduation, and having more consonant sequences in their surname. Vascular surgeons who are more senior, are full professors, or have more complex or less common surnames received more non-self-citations for their single-author works. Additionally, the journal impact factor of their first single-author publication was higher among those who earned their medical degree in the UK compared to their European counterparts. Overall, the findings suggest that academic affiliation, surname complexity, and educational background seem to play a role in the publication and citation patterns of single-author works of UK vascular surgeons.
Marianna Evangelia Kapsetaki (Tue,) studied this question.