Gender imbalances among top-cited scientists across scientific disciplines over time through the analysis of nearly 5.8 million authors

Identifying Trends in the Most Cited Nursing Articles: Research Topics, Author Gender Representation and Characteristics Correlated With Citation Counts

AIM

To assess the top 1000 cited nursing articles in terms of their impact, conceptual and social characteristics.

DESIGN

Bibliometric literature review design.

METHODS

A bibliometric analysis on the 1000 most cited nursing articles in English, focusing on assessing their impact and prevalent terms, keywords, co-occurrence networks and topic trends. Non-parametric statistical tests were used.

DATA SOURCES

Web of Science Core Collection (accessed 14 February 2024).

RESULTS

The 1000 most cited articles were exported from 201,310 eligible articles. The most cited articles received a total of 319,643 citations. The Journal of Advanced Nursing and the International Journal of Nursing Studies were the most cited journals. Literature reviews accounted for 21% of the most cited articles, compared to only 7% of all eligible articles. Most first authors were female, 63%. The data showed an increase in female first authorship among the most cited articles over time. This may reflect a shift towards greater gender equity in nursing research. Shorter article titles and fewer article pages were associated with more citations.

CONCLUSION

Methodological and conceptual articles received the most citations, likely due to their broad applicability (e.g., across disciplines) and enduring relevance. There was a statistically significant correlation between article brevity and citation count, but the relationship should be viewed with caution given the small effect size.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION

Bibliometrics is important for evidence-based practice because it helps nurses evaluate journals, articles and research topics. Since citation counts do not always indicate research quality, nurses and nursing students would benefit from training in bibliometrics to enhance their critical thinking in this area.

IMPACT

Top-cited nursing articles indicate influential research topics and methods. They also influence authors' academic career opportunities, allowing assessment of research equity in terms of dominant countries and author gender representation.

REPORTING METHOD

The Preferred Reporting Items for Bibliometric Analysis (PRIBA) guidelines.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No Patient or Public Contribution.

Gender, race and ethnicity biases experienced by hospital physicians: an umbrella review to explore emerging biases in the evidence base

OBJECTIVES

To examine the authorship and content of systematic reviews (SRs) of biases experienced by medical professionals through a gender lens.

DESIGN

Review of SRs.

DATA SOURCES

We searched PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL from inception. Searches were conducted in May 2022 and updated in October 2023.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Reviews of studies reporting biases experienced by hospital physicians at any stage of their careers and in any country. Reviews were included if they used systematic methods to search the literature and synthesise the data. Non-English language publications were excluded.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

The main theme of each eligible review was identified through qualitative thematic analysis. We used NamSor to determine the first/last authors' gender and computed the proportion of female authors for each review theme.

RESULTS

56 articles were included in the review. These covered 12 themes related to gender, race and ethnicity bias experienced by physicians at any stage of their careers. The overall proportion of female authors was 70% for first authors and 51% for last authors. However, the gender of authors by theme varied widely. Female authors dominated reviews of research on discrimination and motherhood, while male authors dominated reviews on burnout, mental health and earnings. Only six reviews were identified that included race and ethnicity; 9 out of the 12 first and last authors were female.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding the potential for a gendered evidence base on biases experienced by hospital physicians is important. Our findings highlight apparent differences in the issues being prioritised internationally by male and female authors, and a lack of evidence on interventions to tackle biases. Going forward, a more collaborative and comprehensive framework is required to develop an evidence base that is fit for purpose. By providing a point of reference, the present study can help this future development.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42021259409; Pre-results.

Global research trends and hotspots in the application of lasers for acne treatment from 1986 to 2022: bibliometric and visual analysis

Conventional acne treatments are associated with side effects from medication and antibiotic resistance, leading to the search for alternative therapeutic modes of action, such as lasers. The considered bibliometric and visual analysis was designed to present the research publications related to the application of lasers in the treatment of acne from 1986 to 2022, identifying the trends and foremost contributing countries, institutions, and journals. The Scopus database was used to explore publications related to the use of lasers for the treatment of acne. The publications were reviewed based on predefined criteria, including the year of publication, study type, country of origin, affiliated institutions, journals, and citation patterns, employing descriptive analysis. The data were subsequently entered into Microsoft Excel 2016. Furthermore, for the creation of visualization maps depicting international collaborations and research hotspots, we employed VOSviewer software version 1.6.20. A total of 469 documents were retrieved from the Scopus database for analysis. Of those, 74.41% were original articles, 12.15% were reviews, 3.84% were letters, and 9.59% were other forms of publications. Since 2003, the number of publications has shown a consistent positive trend, with a slight plateau between 2012 and 2019. The United States was the most contributing country (33.26%), followed by South Korea (10.23%) and China (10.02%). The emerging research hotspots were "fractional laser therapy and carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers", "types of laser therapy and combination therapies for acne treatment", and "the effectiveness of laser treatments". This study is the first bibliometric analysis of the use of lasers in acne management. These findings indicate an increasing interest in this emerging field, especially in exploring the efficacy of various types and combinations of lasers. This study can help researchers and policymakers understand research trends and gaps to guide future research, collaboration, and decision-making.

[Academics in ophthalmology : An analysis of the gender distribution at German university hospitals and the Clinician Scientist Program]

BACKGROUND

The number of female ophthalmologists has risen steadily in recent years. The aim of this study is to investigate the gender ratios, subspecialties, and academic degrees of ophthalmologists at German university hospitals. Additionally, the study analyzes the proportion of women in science programs such as the Clinician Scientist Program.

METHODS

Data collection was performed in August 2023 based on the official websites of university eye clinics and the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG). The numbers of male and female residents, specialists, senior physicians, and chief physicians as well as subspecialties and academic degrees were determined. Information on the Clinician Scientist Program was collected in a 2022 survey by the Medical Faculty Council.

RESULTS

In August 2023 there were two female chief physicians at the university eye clinics (5%), both specialized in retinal surgery. There were more male senior physicians than female senior physicians (59.9% vs. 40.1%). There was no significant difference between the genders in terms of the number of habilitations (p = 0.554). There were more female specialists than male specialists at the university clinics (58.6% vs. 41.4%) as well as more female residents (56.9% vs. 43.1%). Female specialists were significantly more likely to hold a doctorate than their male colleagues (p = 0.037). The percentage of female applicants for the Clinician Scientist Program nationwide in 2022 was 46.6%, with 41.8% female program starters in 2021 and 39.7% female program graduates in 2021.

CONCLUSION

Senior and chief physician roles at university eye clinics remain predominantly occupied by men. Additionally, support programs for young researchers are still predominantly awarded to men.

Research culture influences in health and biomedical research: rapid scoping review and content analysis

BACKGROUND

Research culture is strongly influenced by academic incentives and pressures such as the imperative to publish in academic journals, and can influence the nature and quality of the evidence we produce.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this rapid scoping review is to capture the breadth of differential pressures and contributors to current research culture, drawing together content from empirical research specific to the health and biomedical sciences.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

PubMed and Web of Science were searched for empirical studies of influences and impacts on health and biomedical research culture, published between January 2012 and April 2024. Data charting extracted the key findings and relationships in research culture from included papers such as workforce composition; equitable access to research; academic journal trends, incentives, and reproducibility; erroneous research; questionable research practices; biases vested interests; and misconduct. A diverse author network was consulted to ensure content validity of the proposed framework of i) inclusivity, ii) transparency, iii) rigor, and iv) objectivity.

RESULTS

A growing field of studies examining research culture exists ranging from the inclusivity of the scientific workforce, the transparency of the data generated, the rigor of the methods used and the objectivity of the researchers involved. Figurative diagrams are presented to storyboard the links between research culture content and findings.

CONCLUSION

The wide range of research culture influences in the recent literature indicates the need for coordinated and sustained research culture conversations. Core principles in effective research environments should include inclusive collaboration and diverse research workforces, rigorous methodological approaches, transparency, data sharing, and reflection on scientific objectivity.

Global perspectives on the contribution of B cells to multiple sclerosis: an in-depth examination and evaluation

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive autoimmune disease, with increasing attention on the role of B cells in its pathogenesis. Despite this growing interest, a comprehensive analysis of research trends and emerging foci on B cells in MS is currently lacking. In this research, we utilize a bibliometric approach to visualize and analyze research trends and focal points in this field, offering a valuable reference for future mechanistic studies in MS.

Methods

We retrieved bibliometric data from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) for articles published between 2014 and 2023. VOSviewer 1.6.18 and CiteSpace 5.7R3 were used for co-authorship, co-occurrence, and citation analyses to identify key researchers, institutions, countries, and emerging themes in B cell research related to MS.

Results

The analysis examined 5,578 articles published in 1,041 journals by 5,337 institutions globally. The United States leads in publication output, with Amit Bar-Or identified as the most influential author, and Frontiers in Immunology as the top journal in the field. Research has increasingly focused on the complex role of B cells in MS, particularly their involvement in the central nervous system (CNS) and mechanisms of anti-B cell therapy. Recent trends point to a growing focus on meningeal inflammation, kinase inhibitors, and Epstein-Barr virus, signaling a shift in research priorities.

Conclusion

This bibliometric analysis highlights pivotal research trends, key contributors, and emerging areas of interest in B cell research in MS from 2013 to 2024. The findings underscore the growing recognition of the multifaceted role of B cells in MS pathogenesis, particularly their involvement in the CNS compartment and the potential of targeted therapies. The study identifies meningeal inflammation, Epstein-Barr virus infection, and kinase inhibitors as promising avenues for future research. The analyses driving the in-depth exploration of B cell mechanisms in MS and the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies provide researchers in the MS field with a comprehensive and objective perspective, serving as a valuable reference for accelerating the translation of basic research findings into clinical applications.

A re-evaluation of gender bias in receptiveness to scientific evidence of gender bias

Gender bias has been documented in many aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers, yet efforts to identify the underlying causes have been inconclusive. To what extent do cognitive biases, including unequal receptiveness in women and men to evidence of gender bias, contribute to gender bias in STEM? We investigated receptiveness in a STEM context among members of the general public, by undertaking a high-powered (total N = 1171) replication, including three experiments (2 pre-registered) of the prominent study by Handley et al. [22]. It was hypothesized that men would evaluate a research summary reporting evidence of gender bias less favourably than women but that there would be no difference between men and women's evaluations of research summaries unrelated to gender bias. The results revealed no effect of the assessor's gender on receptiveness to scientific evidence of gender bias. The different results compared to those of Handley et al. [22] suggest either that the gender bias they detected has diminished in the past decade or that their findings are a false positive. The present research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that some influential studies on cognitive 'markers' of gender bias warrant re-examination.

Sex, gender, sexual orientation, and more: Sexual diversity in Alzheimer's research needs a new lens to achieve inclusive research and generalizable results

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts in Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) research are guiding the adoption of two-step self-report questions that capture research participants' identity based on categories of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The intent is to facilitate inclusion and representation of sexual and gender minoritized (SGM) communities in ADRD research. The data from using these questions are on a collision course with another National Institute of Aging initiative, which is aimed at understanding sex differences in ADRD mechanisms. Here, we critically analyze the goals and methods of the two initiatives. We propose that, in addition to being SGM focused, DEI efforts are needed to expand how scientists consider and measure sexual diversity itself.

Highlights

Sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity (SSOGI) will be asked in ADRD studies.SSOGI data will expand representation of research participant identities.SSOGI data are on a collision course with sex differences research.Both emphasize sexual diversity (SD) largely as SSOGI identity categories.Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts must develop SD methods in ADRD research.

Female researchers are under-represented in the Colombian science infrastructure

Worldwide women have increased their participation in STEM, but we are still far from reaching gender parity. Although progress can be seen at the bachelor's and master's level, career advancement of women in research still faces substantial challenges leading to a 'leaky pipeline' phenomenon (i.e., the continuous decrease of women's participation at advanced career stages). Latin America exhibits encouraging rates of women participation in research, but the panorama varies across countries and stages in the academic ladder. This study focuses on women's participation in research in natural sciences in Colombia and investigates career progression, leadership roles, and funding rates by analyzing data on scholarships, grants, rankings, and academic positions. Overall, we found persistent gender imbalances throughout the research ecosystem that were significant using classical statistical analyses. First, although women constitute >50% graduates from bachelors in natural sciences, <40% of researchers in this field are female. Second, women win <30% of research grants, and in turn, their scientific productivity is 2X lower than that of men. Third, because of the less research funding and output women have, their promotion to senior positions in academic and research rankings is slower. In consequence, only ~25% of senior researchers and full professors are women. Fourth, the proportion of women leading research groups and mentoring young scientist in Colombia is <30%. Our study deepens our understanding of gender gaps in STEM research in Colombia, and provides information to design initiatives that effectively target gender disparities by focusing on key areas of intervention, and then gradually building up, rather than tackling structural inequities all at once.