Dissecting the gender divide: authorship and acknowledgment in scientific publications

Who receives authorship credit for contributing to a scientific paper?

This study compares authorship and acknowledgment to examine how scientific contributions receive credit. Using PLOS articles and linked researcher records, it investigates differences associated with gender, contribution type, and citation standing.

What the study found

• Women had lower authorship rates for several contribution categories, including investigation and analysis and writing.
• Higher citation standing was associated with authorship for both genders, and relative standing within collaborating pairs also mattered.

How the study works

The analysis identifies contributions in acknowledgment text and links acknowledged individuals to Microsoft Academic Graph records. It compares authorship patterns across nine fields, contribution categories, and citation-based measures of standing.

Scope and limitations

• Only a subset of acknowledged individuals could be linked to researcher records, creating a possible selection bias.
• The analysis uses inferred binary gender categories and observational data; it does not identify the cause of an individual authorship decision.

Using this work

Use the study's contribution categories and linkage rules when interpreting or comparing its results. Check the journal article and earlier preprint for version differences. Citation standing is a study measure, not a complete assessment of a person's contribution.

Cite this work

Keigo Kusumegi, Daniel E. Acuna, Yukie Sano (2026). Dissecting the gender divide: authorship and acknowledgment in scientific publications. Scientometrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-026-05712-z

@article{kusumegi2026dissecting,
  title = {Dissecting the gender divide: authorship and acknowledgment in scientific publications},
  author = {Kusumegi, Keigo and Acuna, Daniel E. and Sano, Yukie},
  year = {2026},
  publication_date = {2026-08-08},
  journal = {Scientometrics},
  doi = {10.1007/s11192-026-05712-z},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-026-05712-z}
}