Publication extenders, explained in four reads.

That isn’t a failure of the science. It’s a failure of the format.

What are publication extenders?

Publication extenders are short, audience-friendly formats built from a peer-reviewed publication. They carry its key findings to people who won’t read the full article, or not yet. You’ll also hear them called publication enhancers, enhanced publication content or digital features.

The most common formats today:

Why this matters more in 2026 than it did five years ago

Three things have changed.

Does the evidence back it up?

Yes, with nuance. A review in the ISMPP Insider pulls together the research:

• A study of 500 NEJM articles found those with video abstracts saw a meaningful increase in views over three years.
• In NEJM oncology papers, video and graphical abstracts were both linked to more monthly page views, citations and higher Altmetric scores.
• In a pilot by Adis, 62% of articles with a plain language summary were accessed significantly more than matched articles without one.
• In one survey, 43% of HCPs went on to share a PLS with their own patients.

The same review points out the uncomfortable part: uptake is still low.

That gap is the opportunity. Most publications still go out naked.

Which extender should you start with?

Start with the audience, not the format. Ask three questions:

• Who needs this data most? Specialists, primary care, pharmacists, patients, payers?
• Where do they already spend time? Journal sites, LinkedIn, congress halls, MSL meetings, patient forums?
• What do they need to do with it? Understand it in 30 seconds, explore a subgroup, explain it to a patient?

For most Phase 3 publications, a strong starter pack is a video abstract, an infographic and a plain language summary, with an interactive poster added when the data is going to a congress.

How PubScripts builds publication extenders

At PubScripts, we start from the published paper and nothing else. Every number, claim and caveat traces back to the source. Then we build the formats your audience actually uses: abstract videos, audio summaries, infographics, slide decks, interactive posters and interactive learning modules. One publication, many doors, one consistent scientific story.

FAQ

What is a publication extender?

A short, audience-friendly format, such as a video abstract, infographic, podcast or plain language summary, created from a peer-reviewed publication to widen its reach.

Are publication extenders the same as enhanced publication content?

Yes. Publication extenders, publication enhancers, enhanced publication content and digital features all describe the same idea.

Do publication extenders increase citations?

Several studies link video and graphical abstracts to more views, citations and higher Altmetric scores, though results vary by journal and field.

Interactive publication extenders are built for that moment.

Static vs interactive: what actually changes

Six features of an interactive extender worth clicking

Formats that work well as interactive publication extenders

• Interactive digital posters (e-posters): the congress poster, rebuilt so viewers can expand figures and jump between sections.
• Interactive infographics: a one-screen summary where each element opens its supporting data.
• Interactive learning modules: a guided walkthrough of the study with checkpoints, ideal for HCP education portals and internal MSL training.
• Interactive slide decks: presenter-friendly decks with clickable backup data, so MSLs stop carrying 60 appendix slides.

Five mistakes that make interactivity feel like a gimmick

• Animating everything, so the data takes longer to reach than in a PDF.
• Hiding the safety data three levels deep.
• Adding claims or context that aren’t in the publication. Interactive doesn’t mean off-label.
• Building it for one screen size only.
• Shipping without analytics, then having no idea whether it worked.

How PubScripts builds interactive publication extenders

We start with the publication and map its story: the headline, the proof, the nuance, the caveats. Then we design the navigation around the questions HCPs actually ask. The result is an interactive poster or learning module that stays faithful to the paper, is structured for MLR review, and runs in a browser on any device.

FAQ

What is an interactive publication extender?

A digital summary of a peer-reviewed publication that viewers can navigate, tap and explore, such as an interactive poster, infographic or learning module.

Can interactive content be compliant?

Yes, when every claim traces to the publication, safety data is easy to reach and the content goes through your standard MLR review.

Where can interactive publication extenders be used?

On journal sites, HCP portals, MSL iPads, congress touchscreen kiosks and learning management systems.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not behind. You’re normal. Most congress kiosks are built in exactly this panic, and it shows.

Why the stakes are higher now

Congress floors are packed again. ASCO 2025 alone drew 44,900 registrations and 7,400 exhibitors, according to OPEN Health’s review of congress exhibit trends. The same review notes that booth success is increasingly judged on dwell time and content interactions, with ASH even offering RFID tracking to exhibitors. A kiosk that nobody touches is now a kiosk that shows up as zero in the post-congress report.

Six reasons congress kiosks fail

• It’s a slide deck on a big screen. Touchscreens invite touch. A loop punishes it.
• Too much text. An HCP walking past reads a headline, not a paragraph.
• No clear first tap. If the screen doesn’t say “start here”, nobody starts.
• It depends on Wi-Fi. Congress Wi-Fi is the first thing to fail on day one.
• It doesn’t reset. The next visitor finds the last visitor’s half-finished journey.
• Nothing to take away. The HCP is interested, but there’s no way to carry the data home.

Anatomy of a kiosk experience HCPs actually stop for

1. Attract screen. One bold finding, one visual, one “Tap to explore”. It works from three metres away.
2. Choose your path. Three or four clear doors: Efficacy, Safety, Study design, Patient profile. Let the visitor decide.
3. The 3-tap rule. Any key data point should be reachable in three taps or fewer.
4. Explore the data. Interactive charts, expandable figures and the full e-poster for those who want depth.
5. Take it home. A QR code to the publication, the plain language summary or the digital poster, so the conversation continues after the congress.
6. Auto-reset. After a short idle period, the kiosk returns to the attract screen, ready for the next visitor.

The practical checklist nobody gives you

• Offline first: the whole experience runs locally, with no internet needed on the floor.
• Screen and orientation: design for the actual hardware, portrait or landscape, 32 to 75 inches.
• Touch targets: buttons big enough for a hurried finger, placed within comfortable reach.
• Readable from a step back: large type, high contrast, short labels.
• Accessibility: a lowered interaction zone for seated or shorter visitors.
• Analytics: log which sections are opened and for how long, then use it in your post-congress debrief.
• One build, many uses: the same interactive content should work on MSL iPads and HCP portals after the congress, so the investment doesn’t end when the booth comes down.

Medical affairs booth vs commercial booth

A medical affairs booth has a different job from a commercial one. It’s about scientific exchange, fair balance and credibility, not promotion. That means your kiosk content should come straight from peer-reviewed publications and congress data, with safety information as easy to reach as efficacy. Built this way, an interactive kiosk is simply a publication extender on a bigger screen, and it moves through MLR review the same way.

Work backwards from the congress date

1. 10–12 weeks outPick the publications and congress data; agree the story and the 3–4 paths.
2. 8 weeks outWireframes and first design on the actual screen size.
3. 6 weeks outContent build; submit for MLR review.
4. 3 weeks outIncorporate MLR comments; test on the real hardware.
5. 1 week outFinal offline package loaded and tested; backup copy on a USB drive.

Starting later is possible. It just gets more expensive and more stressful.

How PubScripts helps

PubScripts turns your publications and congress data into interactive posters and interactive learning modules built for touchscreens. Every screen traces back to the source publication, the navigation is designed around what HCPs ask at the booth, and the same build carries on to your field team and HCP portal after the congress.

FAQ

What should an interactive congress kiosk include?

An attract screen, a few clear content paths, interactive data, easy access to safety information, a QR code take-away and automatic reset between visitors.

Can a kiosk run without internet at a medical congress?

Yes. A well-built kiosk runs fully offline from the device, which avoids congress Wi-Fi problems.

How early should we start building a congress kiosk?

Ideally 10–12 weeks before the congress, to leave time for design, MLR review and testing on the actual hardware.

That gap between belief and evidence is where budgets get cut.

Test 1: Is it accurate and compliant?

An extender is still a scientific communication. It has to be as faithful to the data as the paper itself.

• Source only from the publication. No new claims, no extra context, no rounding that changes meaning.
• Keep the balance. Limitations and safety findings belong in the extender, not only in the paper.
• Involve the authors. GPP 2022 brought plain language summaries and other enhanced content into the scope of good publication practice. The same principles apply: author involvement, accuracy and transparency about funding.
• Route it through review. Industry-sponsored extenders should go through the same medical, legal and regulatory review as any other scientific material.

Test 2: Is your plain language summary actually plain?

A plain language summary (PLS) is the extender most likely to reach patients, caregivers and non-specialists. It’s also the one most often written badly.

Research reviewed in the ISMPP Insider found a large share of oncology PLS written at university reading level, with unexplained jargon. Here’s how to avoid that:

• Write for a reading age of around 12 to 14, and test it with a readability tool.
• Explain every medical term the first time, or replace it.
• Say what the study found, what it means, and what it doesn’t mean.
• Offer both formats: a short text PLS plus a visual version. The same ISMPP review notes that HCPs and patients differ in which they find easier, so give them both.

Test 3: Can anyone find it?

A brilliant extender hidden on a journal’s supplementary page is a wasted extender. Discoverability is still the weakest link:

Both findings are via the ISMPP Insider. So: ask the journal about the PubMed PLS tag, host extenders on a searchable page you control, link them from the article, and give your field team and congress materials a QR code that goes straight to them.

Where AI fits in 2026

AI has made the first draft of almost any extender faster: a draft PLS, a script outline, a storyboard, a first-pass infographic layout. Used well, that shortens timelines from weeks to days.

But AI also invents plausible numbers, softens caveats and drifts from the source. In medical publications, one wrong hazard ratio is one too many. The rule is simple:

Measure what matters

Decide what success looks like before you publish, not after the budget meeting.

Pick three or four of these per publication. Record a baseline. Report at 3, 6 and 12 months.

Plan extenders with the publication, not after it

The best time to decide on a publication extender is when the publication plan is written. Build it into the timeline, align it with the authors early, and have it ready when the paper goes live. Extenders launched on publication day ride the paper’s peak attention; extenders launched three months later chase it.

How PubScripts helps

PubScripts builds publication extenders from the peer-reviewed source: plain language summaries, abstract videos, audio summaries, infographics, slide decks, interactive posters and interactive learning modules. Every output is fact-checked against the publication and structured for review. Need the manuscript itself? Our medical writing team supports that too.

FAQ

What is a plain language summary?

A short summary of a research publication written for non-specialists, such as patients and caregivers, in everyday language.

Does GPP 2022 cover publication extenders?

GPP 2022 includes plain language summaries and other enhanced content within good publication practice, so accuracy, author involvement and transparency apply to them too.

How do you measure the impact of a publication extender?

Compare article views and downloads before and after, and track Altmetric scores, video watch time, interactive analytics, QR scans, field feedback and citations over time.