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DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1740046
Scientific Publishing Differences between Sexes in Cardiology, Cardiac, and General Surgery
Abstract
Background Research and scientific publications are important for the advancement of science but also for the individual career development. While women have become the majority of students in medicine we do not know about female presence and scientific activity in cardiac surgery. We thus aimed to compare scientific output of women and men in German University departments of cardiac surgery with cardiology departments focusing on the same organ and surgical departments not addressing the heart (general surgery) of 34 universities in Germany.
Methods Personnel working at University departments was identified on the institutions internet homepage in 2014. Publications in 2011 to 2013 on PubMed were identified. Author and manuscript characteristics were determined.
Results A lower proportion of women were working in cardiac surgery (25%) compared with cardiology (35%) and general (32%) surgery independent of executive function or academic degree. Scientifically active women published fewer manuscripts per capita than men both, in total and as first author. Additionally, the mean and the cumulated journal impact factor of the journals chosen was lower for women compared with men in cardiology but not in cardiac and general surgery.
Conclusion We conclude that the differences in scientific activity between women and men are more pronounced in cardiology compared with general and cardiac surgery, indicating that a higher proportion of women in a field does not result in reduced differences between sexes. The low number of women together with the lower number of manuscripts in cardiac surgery may render the appointment of women as directors challenging.
Authors' Contribution
G.F. drafted and revised the manuscript, analyzed data for [Fig. 2] and prepared it, and prepared [Supplementary Tables S1] to [S4], available in the online version only. L.A. searched the personnel in the departments and identified their publications thus generating the database and revised the manuscript. E.H. used the database to analyze the data for [Figs. 1], [3] [4] [5] [6] and [Supplementary Fig. S1], [Supplementary Table S5], available in the online version only, performed statistical analysis, and revised the manuscript. T.D. suggested research on publication activity and revised the manuscript. M.S. developed the reseach idea, supervised and guided database generation, data analysis as well as manuscript preparation and revision.
* Authors contributed equally to the manuscript.
Publication History
Received: 18 January 2021
Accepted: 14 August 2021
Article published online:
11 December 2021
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