Article type
Abstract
"Background: Cochrane is a recognized source of quality evidence to inform health-related decisions. As an organization, it represents a global network of diverse stakeholders. Cochrane’s key organizational values include diversity and inclusion, to enable wide participation and promote access. However, the diversity of Cochrane review authorship has not been well summarized.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the distribution of country, region, language, and gender diversity in the authorship of Cochrane reviews.
Methods: We retrieved all published articles from the Cochrane Library (November 6, 2023). A web crawling technique was used to extract pre-specified data fields, including date of publication, review type and author affiliations. We determined the country and region of affiliations as well as the gender of the first, corresponding, and last authors for all reviews. Trends in geographical and gender diversity over time were evaluated using logistic regression. Fisher’s exact test with 2000 replicates was used for comparisons. The diversity of first authors between Cochrane and non-Cochrane reviews was explored through visual presentation, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, and the Granger Causality Test.
Results: A total of 22681 citations were retrieved. The United Kingdom was the country with the highest first author representation (33.2%), followed by Australia (11.6%), and the United States (7.0%). We observed an increase in the proportion of first authors from non-English speaking countries, from 23.4% in 1997 to 43.4% in 2023. Female first authorship increased steadily over the years, from 27.7% in 1997 to over 50% in 2023. First authorship from non-high-income OECD countries was found to increase, reaching up to 15.9% in 2003; however, a downward trend was observed afterwards (24.1% in 2012 and 18.6% in 2023). Similarly, the proportion of last authors from non-high-income OECD countries decreased over time (23.3% in 1997 vs. 17.3% in 2023).
Conclusion: Overall, this study found positive trends, with an increase in first authorship by individuals who were female and from non-English speaking countries. Future research could further explore these trends, identifying potential barriers influencing access and participation of individuals and groups, as well as assess strategies that help promote diversity and inclusion."
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the distribution of country, region, language, and gender diversity in the authorship of Cochrane reviews.
Methods: We retrieved all published articles from the Cochrane Library (November 6, 2023). A web crawling technique was used to extract pre-specified data fields, including date of publication, review type and author affiliations. We determined the country and region of affiliations as well as the gender of the first, corresponding, and last authors for all reviews. Trends in geographical and gender diversity over time were evaluated using logistic regression. Fisher’s exact test with 2000 replicates was used for comparisons. The diversity of first authors between Cochrane and non-Cochrane reviews was explored through visual presentation, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, and the Granger Causality Test.
Results: A total of 22681 citations were retrieved. The United Kingdom was the country with the highest first author representation (33.2%), followed by Australia (11.6%), and the United States (7.0%). We observed an increase in the proportion of first authors from non-English speaking countries, from 23.4% in 1997 to 43.4% in 2023. Female first authorship increased steadily over the years, from 27.7% in 1997 to over 50% in 2023. First authorship from non-high-income OECD countries was found to increase, reaching up to 15.9% in 2003; however, a downward trend was observed afterwards (24.1% in 2012 and 18.6% in 2023). Similarly, the proportion of last authors from non-high-income OECD countries decreased over time (23.3% in 1997 vs. 17.3% in 2023).
Conclusion: Overall, this study found positive trends, with an increase in first authorship by individuals who were female and from non-English speaking countries. Future research could further explore these trends, identifying potential barriers influencing access and participation of individuals and groups, as well as assess strategies that help promote diversity and inclusion."