Abstract
Women are less likely to be promoted and hold leadership positions in academic medicine. How often academic articles are cited is a key measure of scholarly impact and frequently assessed for professional advancement; however, it is unknown whether peer-reviewed articles written by men and women are cited differently. To evaluate whether academic articles from high-impact medical journals written by men and women are cited differently. In this cross-sectional study of all original research and commentary articles from 5 high-impact medical journals (Annals of Internal Medicine, British Medical Journal, JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, and The New England Journal of Medicine) from 2015 to 2018, the gender of the primary and senior authors of each article were identified using an online database, and the number of times each article has been cited was identified using Web of Science. The number of citations by primary and senior author gender were then compared. Data were analyzed from July 2020 to April 2021. Primary and senior authors' genders. Number of citations per article. Among 5554 articles, women wrote 1975 (35.6%) as primary author and 1273 of 4940 (25.8%) as senior author. Original research articles written by women as primary authors had fewer median (interquartile range) citations than articles written by men as primary authors (36 [17-82] citations vs 54 [22-141] citations; P < .001) and senior authors (37 [17-93] citations vs 51 [20-128] citations; P < .001). Articles written by women as both primary and senior authors had approximately half as many median (interquartile range) citations as those authored by men as both primary and senior authors (33 [15-68] citations vs 59 [23-149] citations; P < .001). Differences in citations remained in each year of the study and were less pronounced among commentary articles. In this study, articles written by women in high-impact medical journals had fewer citations than those written by men, particularly when women wrote together as primary and senior authors. These differences may have important consequences for the professional success of women and achieving gender equity in academic medicine.
Highlights
Women in academic medicine face myriad professional challenges
Original research articles written by women as primary authors had fewer median citations than articles written by men as primary authors (36 [17-82] citations vs 54 [22-141] citations; P < .001) and senior authors (37 [17-93] citations vs 51 [20-128] citations; P < .001)
Articles written by women as both primary and senior authors had approximately half as many median citations as those authored by men as both primary and senior authors (33 [15-68] citations vs 59 [23-149] citations; P < .001)
Summary
Women in academic medicine face myriad professional challenges. While women are increasingly entering the field, they are less likely to be recognized as experts and leaders, with fewer women speaking at national medical conferences or grand rounds, receiving prestigious awards, being promoted to full professorships, or holding leadership roles.. While women are increasingly entering the field, they are less likely to be recognized as experts and leaders, with fewer women speaking at national medical conferences or grand rounds, receiving prestigious awards, being promoted to full professorships, or holding leadership roles.6 This observed gender gap in academic achievements may be attributable, in part, to lower levels of research productivity. Recognition and amplification of academic achievements are important factors for success, including professional advancement and appointment to leadership positions. Little is known about whether scholarly impact and academic influence differ between men and women
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