Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Articles in ASRT Scholarly Journals

To analyze peer-reviewed articles in the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) scholarly journals, Radiologic Technology and Radiation Therapist, and identify types of research and collaborative efforts among top producers.

A retrospective analysis was conducted by searching the Radiologic Technology and Radiation Therapist archives on the ASRT website to evaluate peer-reviewed articles from 2011 to 2021. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was created to document the types of research being published in the ASRT journals, as well as the number of authors for each peer-reviewed article, education levels of authors, collaborative efforts of top producers of scholarship, and mean authorship index of top producers.

During this 11-year period, 217 peer-reviewed articles were published in the ASRT journals with most being original research studies (152, 70.0%). Most of the articles were written by 2 authors (68, 31.3%) or 4 or more authors (65, 30.0%). Of the 635 total authors, most held a doctoral degree (247, 38.9%) or a master's degree (212, 33.4%). Five top producers of research were identified as having published 5 or more peer-reviewed articles, and their mean authorship index was 95.5. Four top producers routinely collaborated on research articles.

Initiatives, such as mentorships, to promote continued publication of original research studies and increase standalone literature reviews and case studies specific to the ASRT journals might be warranted. Medical imaging and radiation therapy educators can capitalize on collaboration by mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in various research opportunities to prepare future scholars in the profession. Further, medical imaging and radiation therapy authors should consider rotating author responsibilities on a collaborative team. Because the ASRT is the premier professional association for the medical imaging and radiation therapy community, authors should consider publishing in their 2 journals to advance and add to the profession's body of knowledge.

Research articles in the ASRT journals demonstrate high collaborative authorship efforts. This study provides a foundation for future research to improve advancement of knowledge in the medical imaging and radiation therapy profession.