Gender Disparities in Publication Productivity in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences.

Data from healthcare scholarly journals show that there is a significant and persistent gender gap in academic publishing. There has been little research into potential gender disparities in publication productivity in the medical radiation sciences (MRS). The aim of this study, therefore, was to analyse and explain potential gender differences in article authorship and acceptance for publication in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences (JMIRS) for 5 years (2017-2021). The annual submissions to the JMIRS were assessed with respect to the gender in the categories of first, last and corresponding authors. The proportions of male and female authors in each year were reported, as well as the proportions of rejections and acceptances by gender. Radiation therapy (RT) was also disaggregated from the other MRS disciplines (diagnostic imaging including ultrasound) due to a known significantly higher publication rate. There were 1116 submissions to JMIRS in all MRS disciplines over the period 2017-2021. The number of female first authors (n=501), last authors (n=430) and corresponding authors (n=456) constituted 44.9%, 38.5% and 40.9% of total first, last and corresponding authors. Overall, female authorship in all categories of authorship placement increased over the timeframe reviewed, and the percentage gain in the increase was higher than that for male authorship. However, male authorship started from a higher baseline in 2017, and it has also increased year on year and overall, as well as in each placement category examined. The three largest contributing countries to JMIRS publication were Canada, the UK and Australia, have 72.3%, 76.1% and 68.3% female MRS populations, respectively. The proportion of female authors, therefore, does not reflect the proportions of females in the profession in each country. There were 138 RT submissions. Female RTs have a statistically higher percentage of being the first and last authors of articles published in the journal in this field than for the other specialist areas in MRS. There were no significant differences in rejection rate by gender. Rejection ratios were 54:46 (Female: Male) for the first authors and 46:54 for the last author. Male author citation rates were significantly higher (1.69 Female, 2.16 Male). Despite the rising trend in female authorship over the 5 years overall and in each of the first, last, and corresponding authors places the overall number of male authors as well as the number in each category, consistently exceeds that of female authors showing that the gender publication gap in the journal exists. First and senior authorship rates do not reflect the gender proportions in the profession. Positive trends in female authorship suggest progress, but efforts are needed to address underlying barriers. The higher representation of female authors in RT compared to other MRS disciplines is possibly influenced by various factors, such as the nature of the research or the culture within the RT subfield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]