The Hidden Women in Astronomy Research
The citations found at the end of research papers serve several purposes, like providing background on the current work and giving proper credit where it’s due. They can also, according to a new study, reveal decades’ worth of trends in whole fields of science.
A trio of researchers have waded though more than half a century of research published in astronomy journals and found that studies authored by women receive 10 percent fewer citations than similar studies written by men.
Neven Caplar of the Swiss university ETH Zurich andand They made sure that the papers being cited matched up in variables unrelated to gender, like the lead authors’ seniority in the field, the institutions they wrote from, the total number of authors on the paper, the number of references, the year and journal in which it was published, and the specific field of study. They say their , published Friday in quantify the effect of gender bias in citations within astronomy research.
