Are Female Radiation Oncologists Still Underrepresented in the Published Literature? An Analysis of Authorship Trends over the Past Decade

• Published in: Advances in radiation oncology 2019
• Main Authors: Zayed, Sondos, MD, Qu, X. Melody, MD, Warner, Andrew, MSc, Zhang, Tina Wanting, MD, Laba, Joanna M., MD, Rodrigues, George B., MD, PhD, Palma, David A., MD, PhD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Hematology, Oncology, and Palliative Medicine
• ISSN: 2452-1094; 2452-1094
• DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2019.09.002

AbstractPurposeWe examined whether female authorship, traditionally under-represented in the radiation oncology (RO) literature, has improved over the past decade, and whether the introduction of double-blind peer review (where reviewers are blinded to author names and vice-versa) improved female authorship rates. Methods and MaterialsWe analyzed authorship lists over a ten-year period (2007-2016) from the two highest impact factor RO journals: The International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics (IJROBP) and Radiotherapy and Oncology (R&O). From each journal, 20 articles/year were randomly selected. Gender trends of the first, second, last, and ‘collaborating authors’ (defined as all other positions), were analyzed. A one-sample proportion test was used to compare US female senior authorship (2012-2016) with the 2015 benchmark for female US academic radiation oncologists (30.6%). ResultsAcross 400 articles, the mean ± SD percentage of female authors was 30.9 ± 22.0% with 34.8% of first, 36.7% of second, and 25.4% of last authors being female. The total percentage of female authors per year increased from 2007 to 2016 (P=0.005), with no significant increase in the percentage of first (P=0.250), second (P=0.063), or last (P=0.213) female authors. Double-blind peer review was associated with an increase in the mean percentage of female authors (2007-2011: 27.4%; vs. 2012-2016: 34.0%; P=0.012). The proportion of US female senior authors in the latter period (27.6%) and the proportion of female US academic radiation oncologists (30.6%) were not significantly different (P=0.570). ConclusionsAlthough the percentage of female authors in RO has increased over the past decade, this did not correspond to a higher incidence of women in high-profile authorship positions. Introduction of double-blind peer review was associated with a rise in female authorship. The proportion of female US senior authors and academic radiation oncologists is similar, suggesting that senior authorship rates are approaching appropriate levels in the US.