Bibliometric Analysis of the English Musculoskeletal Literature over the Last 30 Years

Abstract

Publication and authorship are important in academia for career advancement, obtaining grants, and improved patient care. There has been a recent interest in bibliometric changes over time, especially regarding the gender gap. The purpose of this study was to explore bibliometric changes in the musculoskeletal literature. Bibliometric variables (number of authors, institutions, countries, pages, references, corresponding author position, author gender, geographic region of origin, and editorial board makeup) were analyzed for 5 basic science and 12 clinically oriented musculoskeletal journals from 1985 through 2016. Statistical analyses comprised bivariate analyses, multifactorial ANOVAs, and logistic regression analyses. A p < 0.005 was considered significant. Nearly, all variables increased over time. Asia had the highest number of authors and corresponding author positions, Australia/New Zealand the highest number of institutions and references, North America the highest number of pages, and Europe the highest number of countries. Those with a female first author had more authors, institutions, countries, references, and pages. Likewise, those with a female corresponding author had more authors, institutions, countries, references, and pages. Single-authored manuscripts decreased over time. The percentage of female first authors rose from 10.8% in 1985-1987 to 23.7% in 2015-2016. There were more female 1^st authors in the basic science journals compared to the clinical journals (33.2% vs. 12.7%). Single-authored manuscripts were more likely to be written by males (5.1 vs. 2.4%) and decreased over time. The many differences by geographic region of origin likely reflect different socio/cultural attitudes regarding academia and research, as well as the gender composition of the disciplines by geographic region. Overall, there has been an increase in the number of female 1^st and corresponding authors, editorial board members, and chief editors, indicating a slow but progressive narrowing of the gender gap.

Figure 1

Gender combinations of first and corresponding authors, excluding single-authored manuscripts and those where the first author was also the corresponding author (FF = both authors female, FM = 1^st author female and corresponding author male, MF = 1^stauthor male and corresponding author male, MM = both authors male). (a) By journal type (p < 10⁻¹⁵). (b) By decade (p = 1.4 × 10⁻¹⁴). (c) By decade for basic science journals (p = 1 × 10⁻⁶). (d) By decade for clinical journals (p = 2.5 × 10⁻¹⁰). (e) By geographic region (p = 1.1 × 10⁻⁷).

Figure 2

(a) The percentage of manuscripts published per year by specific journal (p < 10⁻¹⁵). ABME = Annals of Biomedical Engineering, CTI = Calcified Tissue International, JBMR = Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, JOR = Journal of Orthopaedic Research, AJSM = American Journal of Sports Medicine, BJJ = Bone and Joint Journal, FAI = Foot and Ankle International, JAR = Journal of Arthroplasty, JBJS = Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, JHSA = Journal of Hand Surgery American, JHSE = Journal of Hand Surgery European, JOT = Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, and JPO = Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. (b) Changes over time by region of origin for all manuscripts (p < 10⁻¹⁵). (c) Increasing number of authors over time for all journals (p < 10⁻¹⁵). (d) Increasing number of references over time for all journals (p < 10⁻¹⁵). (e) Change in the standardized corresponding author position over time for all journals (p < 10⁻¹⁵). (f) Change in the number of institutions over time for all journals (p < 10⁻¹⁵). (g) Changes in the average number of pages per manuscript over time and by journal (p < 10⁻¹⁵).

Figure 3

Differences by decade for previous Eastern Bloc nations (p = 0.013—Cochrane linear trend test). The sum of the percentages for each group will equal 100. Thus, the percentage of manuscripts coming from Eastern Bloc countries in 2015–2016 accounted for 41.5% of all the manuscripts from the Eastern Bloc.

Figure 4

Changes over time in the percentage of women in the musculoskeletal literature by role. (a) The percentage of women being a first author, corresponding author, journal editorial board member, or editor in chief. (b) Changes by the type of musculoskeletal journal (Clin = clinical, Basic = basic science, 1^st = first author, CA = corresponding author, EB = editorial board).