Women as authors in the pharmacy literature: 1989–2009

Abstract

Trends in the authorship of original research articles by female U.S. pharmacists in three peer-reviewed pharmacy journals over the period 1989-2009 were evaluated. The sex distribution of the authors of all original research articles published in 1989, 1999, and 2009 in three prominent pharmacy journals (American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, Annals of Pharmacotherapy, and Pharmacotherapy) was evaluated. A total of 608 original research articles were assessed to determine the sex of the first listed author (typically the person with primary responsibility for the research and article preparation) and the last listed, or "senior," author (usually a senior faculty member under whose academic purview the research was conducted). Pharmacist authors with U.S. affiliations were included in the analysis. In each of the three journals evaluated, female authorship increased from 1989 to 2009. Overall, the proportion of articles listing a woman as the first author increased significantly during the study period, from 29.9% in 1989 to 44.3% in 1999 and to 52.2% in 2009. However, after a significant rise in the proportion of articles listing a woman as the last author from 1989 to 1999 (from 16.8% to 37.0%), female last authorship in the three journals declined to 33.8% in 2009. There was a significant overall increase in female authorship of original research articles in the pharmacy literature from 1989 to 2009, but gender difference persists among pharmacists serving as last listed authors.