Authorship of original diagnostic imaging research articles by women increased between 2002 and 2016, but the overall percentage of radiology research written by women remains low, at 23%, according to a study released online on 10 September in European Radiology.
A group led by Dr. Chloe Bernard of University Hospitals Paris Nord Val de Seine, Beaujon in Clichy, France, analyzed 2,632 papers published in European Radiology and CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology over the study time period, noting the gender of the authors (first and last authors) and article characteristics, such as type, origin, radiological subspecialty, and country.
Bernard's team found the following:
- Overall, 23% of first authors and 10% of last authors were women.
- The number of women authors showed a statistically significant increase over time in European Radiology, from 22% in 2002 to 35% in 2016 for first authors and from 13% in 2002 to 18% in 2016 for last authors. The reserachers found no significant increase in the proportion of female authors in CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology over the study time frame.
- Female first authors were more frequently identified in breast imaging (56%), gynecological imaging (34%), and pediatric (34%) subspecialties.
- Of women who were study first authors, 41% had a woman as a last author and 21% had a man as last author.
"There was a significant increase in female authorship in original diagnostic but not interventional imaging research articles between 2002 and 2016, with a strong influence of the radiological subspecialty," the team concluded. "Women were significantly more frequently first authors when the last author was a woman."
