Why Are High-Impact Medical Journal Articles Authored by Women Cited Less Frequently than Those by Men?

July 16, 2021

A report published in JAMA Open Network by University of Pennsylvania’s Drs. Paula Chatterjee and Rachel Werner finds that articles authored by women are cited less frequently than those written by men. The researchers assessed 5,554 high-impact articles published between 2015 and 2018. The trend was identified both in articles where women were primary or senior authors. In addition, some of the articles were published in female-heavy fields, which may indicate the gender disparity is more serious than expected.

Dr. Paula Chatterjee remarks, “The number of times a peer-reviewed articles cited by other researchers is commonly used as a metric for academic recognition, influence, as well as in professional evaluations and promotions,” adding, “Female academics already face a number of barriers to career advancement, and the disparity in citations only broadens the gap between them and their male peers.” Read more here.

(Source: Penn Medicine News, 7/2/21)

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