PUBLICATION HABITS OF WOMEN
AND MEN
AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Erica Frank
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 69 Butler St SE, Atlanta, GA 30303-3219, USA
Objective: To help determine whether and why women academicians in medical schools publish less than their male colleagues.
Design: A 100% census (sample n=491; response rate=62.1%) of active clinical and research faculty at Stanford University School of Medicine was sent up to 3 mailings of a 1-page questionnaire in 1992.
Results: Women did not have significantly fewer first-authored publications in the past 5 years than did men (6.6 vs 8.0, P=.2), but had fewer co-authorships (13.2 vs 19.8, P=.02). Women had a 2.4 and men had a 2.6 co-authorship; first authorship ratio (P=.02). Women estimated a mean of 1.4 submissions per acceptance, men estimated 1.5 submissions per acceptance (P=.2). Women were significantly less likely to have achieved more senior faculty status (P<.001). Among 30-39 year olds, there were twice as many male assistant professors (n=53 vs 24), and 5 times as many male associate professors as female (5 vs 1). Among 40-49 year olds, there were 4 times as many male assistant (14 vs 4), 5 times as many male associate (41 vs 9), and 18 times as many male full professors as female (36 vs 2).
Conclusions: These women had marginally fewer publications than their age-matched men colleagues, but were significantly less likely to have achieved high academic status. Their lesser publication rate does not appear to be because they are more likely to be rejected by the journals to which they submit; it may be because colleagues are less likely to offer co-authorship or because of other academic impediments.
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