Measurable Progress in Female Authorship in Otolaryngology

Abstract

To identify contemporary trends in female authorship in the otolaryngology literature. Analysis of 4 otolaryngology journals. All articles published in Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology, Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Laryngoscope, and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in 2008 were reviewed and compared with prior data from 1978, 1988, and 1998. Each published article's authorship panel was examined for the number of authors and each author's sex, degree, and the subspecialty area of publication. Year-to-year comparisons were conducted for the rates and characteristics of female authorship. A total of 544, 629, 713, and 785 articles from 1978, 1988, 1998, and 2008, respectively, were analyzed. From 1998 to 2008, the overall percentage of female authors increased from 14.5% to 22.5% (P < .001). Similarly, the percentage of articles with a female first author increased from 12.9% to 21.3% (P < .001). Whereas previously pediatric otolaryngology had the highest female first author percentage (range, 6.9%-19.4%), in 2008 all other subspecialties demonstrated significant increases in female first author percentages: otology (18.6%), general (22.3%), head and neck (22.2%), plastics (18.9%), and pediatrics (19.4%) (P = .885). A significant number of female first authors continue to be nonphysicians (19.2% in 2008, P < .001). Female authorship has shown significant and steady increases in the otolaryngology literature, particularly in the past decade. Increased rates of publication from female otolaryngologists within most subspecialties have resulted in similar rates of publication across the subspecialties.