Gender analysis of the top classic papers in otolaryngology head and neck surgery

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify and analyze the gender breakdown of first authorship contributing to the most-cited papers in the field of otolaryngology, with a goal of identifying trends in gender representation in publishing. Methods: The top 150 most-cited papers were identified using the Science Citation Index of the Institute for Scientific Information. Among the first authors, gender, h-index, percentage of first, last, and corresponding authorship positions, total publications, and citations were analyzed. Results: The majority of papers were in the English language, from the United States, of clinical nature, and on otologic topics. Eighty-one percent of papers (n = 122) had men who were first authors, although there was no difference in h-index score, authorship position, number of publications, citations, and average citations/year between men and women first authors. Upon subgroup analysis by decade (1950s–2010s), there was no difference in the number of articles by women first authors (P = 0.11); however, there was a statistically significant increase in the percentage of women authors (P = 0.001) in papers published later compared to those published earlier. Conclusions: While a promising number of women otolaryngologists are publishing high-powered articles, future initiatives to promote academic inclusivity of women should be considered.