Research/StudySTEM Fields

Astronomy Papers With a Woman as Lead Author Are Cited Less Than Articles With a Male Lead Author

A study, conducted by scholars at the Institute for Astronomy at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, finds that academic papers in astronomy where the lead author is a woman get 10 percent fewer citations, on average, than papers where a man is the lead author.

The study included nearly 150,000 academic papers published in five major journals of astronomy during the years 1950 to 2015. In papers from the early years of the study, the gender gap was huge. Since 1985, papers with women lead authors have received, on average, 6 percent fewer citations than astronomy papers where the lead author has been a man.

Lead author Neven Caplar states that “if I have 10 percent more citations than a woman with the same quality paper, I would be more likely to get the job.”

The full study, “Quantitative Evaluation of Gender Bias in Astronomical Publications From Citation Counts,” was published on the website of the journal Nature Astronomy. It may be accessed here.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

Latest News

Vanya Quiñones Appointed President of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

0
Dr. Quiñones, who has been serving as president of California State University, Monterey Bay, is slated to become the first Latina president of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona on July 1.

Shawna Cooper Whitehead Named the First Woman President of Regis University in Colorado

0
Dr. Cooper Whitehead brings extensive experience in student affairs and academic leadership to her new role. She comes to Regis university from Boston College, where she has served as vice president of student affairs since 2021.

New Provost Appointments for Three Women in Higher Education

0
The new provosts are Alicia Alvero at the City University of New York, Gwen Cash-James at North Idaho College, and Julie Gorlewski at the State University of New York Fredonia.

Sally Coleman Selden Appointed President of the University of Lynchburg

0
Currently provost at The Citadel in South Carolina, Dr. Selden previously worked for the University of Lynchburg for 18 years, ultimately serving as provost. She is slated to return to the university as president on July 1.

Sarah Wisdom Named President of William Woods University

0
Dr. Wisdom, superintendent of New Bloomfield R-III Schools in Missouri, is a four-time graduate of William Woods University. She is slated to assume the presidency of alma mater on July 1.

Latest Job Listings

Assistant Professor, Clinician Educator track, in the Division of Genomic Diagnostics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

0
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania seek candidates for an Assistant Professor position in the non-tenure clinician educator track.

Communications Publications Editorial Manager (Website Content Manager)

0
The Website Content Manager serves as the primary website lead for the College, collaborating with team members across design, marketing, multimedia, public relations, and government affairs.

Assistant Senior Instructional Professor in the Social Sciences Core (Social Science Inquiry)

0
The Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago is now accepting applications for a full-time Assistant Senior Instructional Professor who will teach in and contribute to the management and administration of the Social Science Inquiry sequence in the Social Sciences Core.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Media Studies

0
The Department of Cinema & Media Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia invites applications for a one-year Visiting Assistant Professor position in the field of media studies.

Instructional Professor in Law, Letters, and Society (Open Rank)

0
The Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago is now accepting applications for a full-time Instructional Professor who will teach in the program in Law, Letters, and Society.