Diversity in high-impact psychiatric publishing: gender parity within reach?

Abstract

Gender parity and authorship diversity are declared goals in the publishing world. This study assessed the progress of authorship gender distribution over a quarter of a century and geographic diversity over the last 15 years in high-impact psychiatric journals. All articles published in 2019 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the British Journal of Psychiatry, and JAMA Psychiatry were included and compared with data from three points in time starting in 1994. Descriptive statistics were gathered, and chi-square tests were performed. All tests were conducted as two-tailed, and p-values < 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. Inter-rater reliability was calculated via Cohen’s kappa. In 2019 a total of 473 articles were published. Forty percent of all authors, 42.3% of first authors, and 29.4% of senior authors were female. Counting original research articles only, female first authorship reached 50.4%. In the 25-year period between 1994 and 2019, female first (p < .001), female senior (p < .001), and female overall (p < .001) authorship has increased. In the specific period between 2014 and 2019, overall female senior authorship in all articles (p = .940) as well as first (p = .101) and senior (p = .157) in original research plateaued. In non-original research articles, female first authorship was higher in 2019 compared to 2014 (p = .014), whilst female senior authorship plateaued (p = .154). Geographic diversity was low and did not change over time. Gender parity in the subcategory original research articles was reached for the first time in 2019. Senior female authorship and geographic diversity remain areas of concern that need further investigation and specific interventions.

Female researchers in high-impact psychiatric journals: What do they focus on?

“…A total of 473 articles were published in 2019. Of those 234 (49.5%) were original research articles, of which 118 were published by females as first authors ( 15 ). In 2014, the total number of published articles was 642.…”

“…Limited to three high-impact journals, the results of this study cannot be generalised to medium- or low-impact journals. Additionally, it should be taken into account that the majority of papers were published by authors from high-income areas, mainly North America and Europe ( 15 ). An analysis of social psychiatric research from Germany showed similar results with regard to mental health conditions under study, with articles on psychiatric patients in general ranked first, followed by schizophrenia, substance-related disorders and affective disorders ( 35 ).…”

“…Two recent studies demonstrated that the percentage of female authors is on the rise and gender parity in first authorship was finally achieved in the category of original research articles in 2019 (14,15). However, women remain underrepresented in senior and leadership positions, and in academic medicine (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19).…”

“…Two recent studies demonstrated that the percentage of female authors is on the rise and gender parity in first authorship was finally achieved in the category of original research articles in 2019 (14,15). However, women remain underrepresented in senior and leadership positions, and in academic medicine (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19). This fact bears the risk that issues relevant to women are systematically underrepresented, thus potentially resulting in a loss of diversity with gaps in psychiatric research (20,21).…”