"Representation In The Endocrinology Literature And The Effect Of Doubl" by Gal Hodish

Date of Award

January 2024

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Michael Wininger

Abstract

Background: There is an open question as to whether authorship in peer-reviewed scientific journal articles is representational. Part of this discrimination has been attributed to bias in the review process of manuscripts, with the suggestion that a double-blind review process ensures equitable outcomes due to complete deidentification of both authors and reviewers. Methods: We performed an automated review of 4,191 manuscripts published at three endocrinology journals with comparable impact factor (two single-blind journals; one double-blind journal) in the years 2010-2023; manuscripts were included in the analysis if they were published from institutions based in the United States. Gender and race/ethnicity associated with authors’ names were predicted using publicly available algorithms (GenderAPI and REthnicity, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine whether relationships are present between peer-reviewed journal blindness and author characteristics. Findings: There was a statistically significant difference in proportion of female first-authors by journal (P=0.00055), but no significant difference among last-authors (P=0.1838). We observed the opposite trend in race-ethnicity: statistically significant difference between journals among last-authors (P=0.04518), but not among first-authors (P=0.1465). Female representation among these authors was less than expected (absolute difference: 11.5%, P<0.05), but this trend appeases to be ameliorating over time (increase of 1.5% female representation per year, P<0.05). Secondary and exploratory analyses revealed complex trends in gender and race-ethnicity with respect to double-blind review. Interpretation: Historical trends in under-representation of female investigators among published authors in endocrinology appears to be substantial, but trending toward equality. Nuanced findings in both gender and race-ethnicity provide compelling opportunities for further investigation.

Comments

This is an Open Access Thesis.

Open Access

This Article is Open Access

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