Gender inequities in patterns of authorship contributions in dentistry: an observational study

This observational study investigated gender differences in authorship contributions in high-impact, multidisciplinary dentistry journals.

A sample of 396 articles published between January 1 and December 31, 2023, across the five high-impact multidisciplinary journals in the dentistry field was analyzed. The selection of journals considered the impact factor in the Journal Citation Reports 2023 in the dentistry field. It includes the five dental multidisciplinary journals with the highest impact factor, considering journals with multidisciplinary dentistry subjects. Journals with a specific focus on dental areas or multidisciplinary journals covering the same area were excluded. The binary gender of the first and last authors was identified using the Genderize database, and contribution roles were extracted from the authors' statements. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-squared tests.

Men were the majority in both first (57.1%) and last (65.7%) authorship positions. Among first authors, significant gender differences were found: women were more involved in data collection (53.9% vs. 46.1%, p = 0.001) and more likely to contribute to all five authorship categories (p = 0.04). No significant gender differences were observed among the last authors. Geographical variation was noted, with South America showing a higher proportion of women as first authors (64.4%).

Overall, the study reveals gender disparities in the distribution of scientific labor, particularly in the position of first authorship, and highlights the need for greater equity and transparency in recognizing research contributions.