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. 2023 Feb 9;52(1):10.
doi: 10.1186/s40463-022-00612-7.

Gender differences in publication rates at Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery annual meetings: an 11-year analysis

Dorsa Mavedatnia  1 , Jennifer Payandeh  2 , Penelope Neocleous  3 , Jacob Davidson  3   4 , Agnieszka Dzioba  5 , Julie E Strychowsky  3   5 , M Elise Graham  6   7
Affiliations

Gender differences in publication rates at Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery annual meetings: an 11-year analysis

Dorsa Mavedatnia et al. J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. .

Abstract

Background: Evaluating gender differences in publication rates after conference presentations is an avenue to assess women's contributions to academic medicine. The objective of this study was to assess gender differences in publication rates, time to publication, and subspeciality of publication of abstracts presented at Canadian otolaryngology conferences over an 11-year period.

Methods: Cross-sectional data was obtained from online conference schedules of annual Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery national meetings between 2009 and 2020. A total of 2111 abstract titles were searched in MedLine via PubMed. Gender of the first and senior author, publication status of presented work, and subspeciality of publication were extracted.

Results: Of 2111 scientific abstracts presented between 2009 and 2020, female first and senior authors accounted for 29.0% and 12.8% of published abstracts, respectively. There was a significant difference in the publication rate of senior authors by gender (p < 0.01). Male senior authors had a 9.70% higher rate of publication compared to female senior authors. Posters with a female first author were 33.0% (OR: 0.67; 95% CI 0.49-0.91) less likely to be published compared to posters with a male first author. Similarly, posters with a female senior author were 34.0% (OR: 0.66; 95% CI 0.45-0.96) less likely to be published. There was a significant difference in discipline of publication by gender of the senior author (p < 0.001). Male senior authors were more likely to supervise projects in otology while female senior authors were more likely to supervise projects in education and pediatrics. The time to publication and impact factor of the journal of publication did not differ by gender.

Conclusion: Gender disparities exist in the publication rates of first and senior authors at Canadian otolaryngology meetings. Female senior authors have significantly lower publication rates compared to their male colleagues and differences exist in publication rates after poster presentations. Investigation of gender gaps in academic medicine, research productivity, and publications is essential for development of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce in otolaryngology.

Keywords: Gender; Otolaryngology; Publications; Research.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Proportion of publications by gender and first or senior author over time. No significant changes were noted over the studied time period
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Publication rate (% published) by presentation type and author gender. Note there is a significant difference in proportion of posters leading to publication by first and senior author gender
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Gender representation of authors in published papers, stratified by first and senior author. Most papers arising from abstracts were authored by both a male first and senior author. Those authored by a female first and senior author made up the smallest proportion, at 5.2%
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
a, b Proportion of publications by subspeciality of first (a) and senior (b) author. There was no difference in subspecialty of presentation by gender of first author (p = 0.11), however the gender differences by subspecialty were significantly different for senior authors (p < 0.01)
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