Past studies have generated mixed findings as to whether women and men differ with regard to publication rates, with variability depending on academic rank, discipline, and institutional context. In addition to publications, citations are an increasingly important measure of productivity. This study examined publication and citation rates for women and men in Italian academic psychology. Italy was chosen as a case-study country to expand the scope of scientific productivity research beyond Anglophone cultural and institutional contexts. We examined Google Scholar publication rates and three (the h-index, the hi-index, and the AWCR) citation indices for the 250 female and 261 male university psychology professors listed in the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research website. Overall, rank was the best predictor of publications and citations, with full professors being the most published and cited. At the same time, even when rank was considered, men had higher publication productivity and impact than women. Specifically, men had more publications, more co-authored publications, and more publications involving foreign co-authors, though women and men published at similar rates in subfields where women were the majority and in Italian outlets. Men also had significantly higher impact values across citation indices except in the AWCR, an index adjusted for publications age, and not in all subfields. In conclusion, rank and seniority are important in Italian academic psychologists publication and citation patterns, with sex of faculty effects smaller, but significant. Being in a majority-female subfield is associated with higher publication productivity among Italian psychology female academics.
Similarities and differences in Women's and Men's Publications and Citation Record among Academic Psychologists
D'Amico R;
2010
Abstract
Past studies have generated mixed findings as to whether women and men differ with regard to publication rates, with variability depending on academic rank, discipline, and institutional context. In addition to publications, citations are an increasingly important measure of productivity. This study examined publication and citation rates for women and men in Italian academic psychology. Italy was chosen as a case-study country to expand the scope of scientific productivity research beyond Anglophone cultural and institutional contexts. We examined Google Scholar publication rates and three (the h-index, the hi-index, and the AWCR) citation indices for the 250 female and 261 male university psychology professors listed in the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research website. Overall, rank was the best predictor of publications and citations, with full professors being the most published and cited. At the same time, even when rank was considered, men had higher publication productivity and impact than women. Specifically, men had more publications, more co-authored publications, and more publications involving foreign co-authors, though women and men published at similar rates in subfields where women were the majority and in Italian outlets. Men also had significantly higher impact values across citation indices except in the AWCR, an index adjusted for publications age, and not in all subfields. In conclusion, rank and seniority are important in Italian academic psychologists publication and citation patterns, with sex of faculty effects smaller, but significant. Being in a majority-female subfield is associated with higher publication productivity among Italian psychology female academics.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.