Publication pressure in medical imaging

•Degree of perceived publication pressure in medical imaging appears substantial.•Age and research experience influenced perceived publication pressure.•Whether this may lead to scientific misconduct needs further investigation. To investigate the degree of perceived publication pressure in medical imaging. Corresponding authors who published an article in one of the top 12 general radiology journals were invited to complete a survey about publication pressure. The revised Publication Pressure Questionnaire (PPQr) was used. Higher PPQr scores (5-point Likert scale) indicate a more negative view towards the various domains of publication pressure. 203 corresponding authors participated. Median PPQr scores in the domains “publication stress”, “publication attitude”, and “publication resources” were 3.33, 3.50, and 3.67, respectively. Age 25–34 years (β coefficient 0.366, P = 0.047), female gender (β coefficient 0.293, P = 0.020), and 5–10 years of research experience (β coefficient 0.370, P = 0.033) were associated with a higher level of perceived publication stress, whereas age ≥ 65 years was negatively associated with perceived publication stress (β coefficient −0.846, P 65 years were associated with a more positive view towards the publication climate (β coefficients −0.391 and −0.663, P = 0.018 and P = 0.002, respectively). Age 45–54 years was associated with a perception of fewer factors available to alleviate publication pressure (β coefficient 0.301, P = 0.014), whereas age 25–34 years was associated with a perception of more factors available to alleviate publication pressure (β coefficient −0.352, P = 0.012). Perceived publication pressure among medical imaging researchers appears to be appreciable and is associated with several (academic) demographics.