Faster, higher, stronger – together? A bibliometric analysis of author distribution in top medical education journals

Bibliographic Data

ID21880394
AuthorsDawit Wondimagegn (0000-0002-5035-3731, Addis Ababa University), Cynthia Whitehead (0000-0002-0134-9074, University Health Network), Carrie Cartmill (0000-0001-6996-7293, University Health Network), Eloy Rodrigues (0000-0002-7862-2681, University of Minho), Antónia Correia (0000-0002-6707-8289, University of Minho), Tiago Salessi Lins (0000-0001-5587-4504, Universidade Federal da Paraíba), Manuel João Costa (0000-0001-5255-4257, University of Minho, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume8
Issue6
Pagese011656
Publication date2023-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBMJ Global Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2059-7908 • E-ISSN: 2059-7908
PublisherBMJ (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1136/bmjgh-2022-011656
PMID37321659
OpenAlexW4380785993
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited76

INTRODUCTION: Medical education and medical education research are growing industries that have become increasingly globalised. Recognition of the colonial foundations of medical education has led to a growing focus on issues of equity, absence and marginalisation. One area of absence that has been underexplored is that of published voices from low-income and middle-income countries. We undertook a bibliometric analysis of five top medical education journals to determine which countries were absent and which countries were represented in prestigious first and last authorship positions. METHODS: . Country of origin was identified for first and last author of each publication, and the number of publications originating from each country was counted. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed a dominance of first and last authors from five countries: USA, Canada, UK, Netherlands and Australia. Authors from these five countries had first or last authored 70% of publications. Of the 195 countries in the world, 43% (approximately 83) were not represented by a single publication. There was an increase in the percentage of publications from outside of these five countries from 23% in 2012 to 40% in 2021. CONCLUSION: The dominance of wealthy nations within spaces that claim to be international is a finding that requires attention. We draw on analogies from modern Olympic sport and our own collaborative research process to show how academic publishing continues to be a colonised space that advantages those from wealthy and English-speaking countries

Bibliometrics · Library science · Political science · Regional science · Sociology · Computer Science · Global Health and Surgery · Health and Medical Research Impacts · Innovations in Medical Education · Mathematics

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