Teresa I-Han Liang MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Cathy Zhang, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Rohan Khara, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Alison Clare Harris MBChB, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

In the past twenty years, the number of women entering and working in the medical profession has been increasing. However, a question has been raised whether this is reflected in the representation and growth of female radiologists. The purpose of this study is to quantify the presence of female authorship within prominent radiology literature, and to determine if the proportions have changed over the last two decades.

A comprehensive search was conducted for all articles in 1993, 2003 and 2013 from two prominent radiology journals: Radiology and American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR). Research studies, case reports, review articles and pictorial essays were included in this study. The gender of first and last authors and the continent where the paper was written were collected. Names with only initials or gender that remained uncertain after an Internet search were excluded. Chi squared tests were used for statistical analysis and p<0.05 was considered significant.

Between 1993 and 2013, the representation of female authorship in both journals increased in a total of 2341 articles. In Radiology, a significant increase from 16.5% to 30.4% in first authorship, and 12.1% to 19.2% in last authorship was determined (p<0.0001, p=0.004, respectively). Similarly, in AJR, a growing trend of women in first and last authorship was demonstrated, with growths from 20.7% to 27.2% and 17.5% to 23.5% respectively (p=0.045, p=0.051). 13.9% (326/2341) and 12.1% (285/2341) of authors’ genders were indeterminate after an Internet search and were excluded. The majority of articles were written in North America.

Although there has been an increase in female authorship in radiology literature, women continue to remain a minority within academic journals.

While women are becoming more prominent within radiology literature, they continue to remain a minority in relation to their counterparts. This is an opportunity to identify barriers impeding female radiologists globally from pursuing academic radiology, and to initiate a campaign to increase female presence in radiology literature in the future.

Liang, T, Zhang, C, Khara, R, Harris, A, Assessing the Gap in Female Authorship in Radiology: Trends Over the Past Two Decades.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14001219.html