Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To identify the publication rates and determinants of otorhinolaryngology/ear, nose and throat (ENT) residency theses completed in Türkiye between 2016 and 2020. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted on 460 ENT theses listed in the National Thesis Center database of the Council of Higher Education. Publication statuses were determined through searches in PubMed, Web of Science, TRDizin and Google Scholar on May 10, 2025, using thesis titles, author names, and keywords. Variables including subspecialty, study design, completion year, institution type, city, and journal indexation were recorded. RESULTS: Among 460 theses, 43.5% were published, with an average time to publication of 3.2±1.7 years. Institution type and city did not significantly affect publication rates (p=0.566, p=0.088). Pediatric ENT (63.6%) and head and neck surgery (57.7%) showed significantly higher publication rates (p=0.019). Cadaveric (66.7%), animal (50%), and prospective (43.5%) studies had higher publication rates than average, but without statistical significance (p=0.292). Most published theses (72%) appeared in international journals and 134 were indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded. CONCLUSION: This study showed that 43.5% of ENT residency theses in Türkiye were published, with an average publication time of 3.2 years. No significant institutional differences were observed. Higher publication rates were noted in pediatric and head and neck surgery theses. Supporting residents in disseminating their research remains essential for fostering academic development.