Article placement order in rheumatology journals: a content analysis

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Bibliometrics
• Scientific Publishing

Background:

• Article placement order within scientific journals can influence visibility and impact.
• Understanding factors influencing placement order is crucial for equitable dissemination of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze variables associated with article placement order in serial rheumatology journals.
• To investigate potential biases in article positioning based on author demographics, funding, research design, and disease category.

Main Methods:

• Content analysis of 6787 original articles from seven rheumatology journals (2013-2018).
• Extracted data included article order, author demographics, region, funding, research design, and disease category.
• Statistical analyses included cumulative density function plots, odds ratios (ORs), and meta-analysis of Altmetric Scores and downloads.

Main Results:

• Article placement order was associated with funding source and research design, but not author gender or geographical region.
• Articles on rheumatoid arthritis were more likely to be placed at the front of issues.
• Articles on other rheumatic diseases (e.g., lupus, vasculitis, pain syndromes) were more likely to be placed at the end of issues.
• Articles in the first three positions had higher Altmetric Scores and download rates compared to those in the last three positions.

Conclusions:

• Author gender and geographical region do not influence article placement order in rheumatology journals.
• Bias towards certain disease categories is reflected in article placement, potentially influencing research prominence.
• Editorial decisions on article placement can impact the visibility and perceived importance of specific rheumatic diseases.