Authorship representation in global emergency medicine: a bibliometric analysis from 2016 to 2020

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Stephanie Chow Garbern, Brown University; Gimbo Hyuha, Muhimbili Natl Hosp; Catalina González Marqués, Brigham and Women's Hospita; Noor Baig, Aga Khan Univ Hosp; Jennifer L Chan, Northwestern University; Sanjukta Dutta, Fortis Hospital; Masuma A Gulamhussein, Muhimbili National Hospital; Gloria Paulina López Terán, Hospital Santa Inés de Ambato; Hussein Karim Manji, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences; Winnie K Mdundo, Muhimbili National Hospital; Rachel T Moresky, Columbia University; Raya Y Mussa, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences; Erin E Noste, University of California San Diego; Mulinda Nyirenda, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Ministry of Health - Malawi; Maxwell Osei-Ampofo, Ghana National Ambulance Service; Sindhya Rajeev, Stanford University; Hendry R Sawe, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences; Alphonce Nsabi Simbila, Muhimbili National Hospital; Kaushila MC Thilakasiri, University of Colombo; Nikkole Turgeon, University of Vermont; Benjamin W Wachira, Aga Khan University; Rebecca S Yang, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Amne Yussuf, Muhimbili National Hospital; Raina Zhang, Brown University; Alishia Zyer, Bryant University; Chris A Rees, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-06-01
• Publisher: BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009538
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 6
• Grant/Funding Information: The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
• Keywords: POLICIES; other study design; health policies and all other topics; STATE; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; HEALTH RESEARCH; EQUITY; Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Introduction High-income country (HIC) authors are disproportionately represented in authorship bylines compared with those affiliated with low and middle-income countries (LMICs) in global health research. An assessment of authorship representation in the global emergency medicine (GEM) literature is lacking but may inform equitable academic collaborations in this relatively new field. Methods We conducted a bibliometric analysis of original research articles reporting studies conducted in LMICs from the annual GEM Literature Review from 2016 to 2020. Data extracted included study topic, journal, study country(s) and region, country income classification, author order, country(s) of authors' affiliations and funding sources. We compared the proportion of authors affiliated with each income bracket using 2 analysis. We conducted logistic regression to identify factors associated with first or last authorship affiliated with the study country. Results There were 14 113 authors in 1751 articles. Nearly half (45.5%) of the articles reported work conducted in lower middle-income countries (MICs), 23.6% in upper MICs, 22.5% in low-income countries (LICs). Authors affiliated with HICs were most represented (40.7%); 26.4% were affiliated with lower MICs, 17.4% with upper MICs, 10.3% with LICs and 5.1% with mixed affiliations. Among single-country studies, those without any local authors (8.7%) were most common among those conducted in LICs (14.4%). Only 31.0% of first authors and 21.3% of last authors were affiliated with LIC study countries. Studies in upper MICs (adjusted OR (aOR) 3.6, 95% CI 2.46 to 5.26) and those funded by the study country (aOR 2.94, 95% CI 2.05 to 4.20) had greater odds of having a local first author. Conclusions There were significant disparities in authorship representation. Authors affiliated with HICs more commonly occupied the most prominent authorship positions. Recognising and addressing power imbalances in international, collaborative emergency medicine (EM) research is warranted. Innovative methods are needed to increase funding opportunities and other support for EM researchers in LMICs, particularly in LICs.