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Jia Z, Liu D, Li X, Wen T, Zhao X, Li W. Composition of the editorial staff of major spinal journals based on geo-economic background: A survey analysis. Heliyon 2024; 10:e28541. [PMID: 38689993 PMCID: PMC11059504 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The widespread absence of papers originating in low and middle income economies (LAMIE) across various scholarly disciplines has been widely acknowledged. One potential reason for this could be editorial biases against submissions from LAMIE. Although this bias has been observed in different academic areas, its extent in spinal research remains largely uninvestigated. This research endeavored to investigate the composition of editorial staff members (ESM) within major spinal journals and scrutinize the degree of international diversity represented among the ESM. Methods We pinpointed ten major spinal journals by referencing their presence in the Journal Citation Reports of 2021. Countries of the ESM affiliated with these journals were categorized according to World Bank classifications. Following this, we conducted a thorough analysis of the ESM compositions. Results A total of 982 ESM from 50 countries were identified. The United States exhibited the highest representation among ESM (395, 40.22%), followed by South Korea (57, 5.80%), Switzerland (53, 5.40%). When segmented by geographical regions, North America emerged with the highest representation, constituting 43.38% of ESM at 426, trailed by Europe & Central Asia at 31.16% (306), East Asia & Pacific at 17.92% (175). The majority of ESM, amounting to 87.98%, hailed from high income economies (HIE). There was an absence of ESM representation of low income economies. The relationship regarding the quantity of ESM in each country and its population failed to demonstrate significance (p = 0.274, r = 0.281). However, a notable positive correlation emerged when exploring the connection between ESM numbers and gross domestic product (p = 0.033, r = 0.517). Conclusions Major spinal journals exhibit a notable absence of international representation within their editorial boards, predominantly comprising members from HIE. This underscores a substantial underrepresentation of ESM originating from LAMIE within the sphere of spinal investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwei Jia
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Donghua Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xingxuan Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Tianlin Wen
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xiyan Zhao
- Department of Endocrinology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Sports Medicine, Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
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Jia Z, Liu D, Li X, Wen T, Zhao X, Li W. Analyzing the composition of the editorial boards in high-impact medical ethics journals: a survey study. BMC Med Ethics 2024; 25:13. [PMID: 38311761 PMCID: PMC10840243 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-024-01006-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The underrepresentation of scholarly works from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in academic literature is a documented concern, attributed partly to editorial biases. This trend, prevalent across various disciplines, has been less explored in the context of medical ethics journals. This study aimed to examine the composition of editorial board members (EBM) in high-impact medical ethics journals and to evaluate the extent of international diversity within these editorial teams. METHODS This study incorporated an analysis of 16 high-impact medical ethics journals. Information regarding the EBM of these journals was systematically gathered and categorized based on the World Bank's country income classifications. An in-depth examination of the editorial board compositions was then conducted. RESULTS The study identified 669 EBM across the selected journals. A predominant 89.84% (601) of these members were from high-income countries (HICs), with upper-middle-income countries contributing 7.47% (50) and lower-middle-income countries 2.69% (18). No EBM were associated with low-income countries. A regional breakdown indicated that North America was the most represented area, accounting for 48.88% (327), followed by Europe & Central Asia (27.50%, 184), East Asia & Pacific (13.45%, 90), Latin America & Caribbean (4.63%, 31), Sub-Saharan Africa (4.19%, 28), Middle East & North Africa (0.75%, 5), and South Asia (0.60%, 4). In total, these EBMs hailed from 46 different countries, with the United States representing the largest proportion (43.80%, 293), followed by the United Kingdom (13.15%, 88), Australia (7.92%, 53), Germany (6.73%, 45), and Canada (5.08%, 34). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant lack of international representation within the EBM of high-impact medical ethics journals. The majority of editors in this field are affiliated with HICs, leading to a severe underrepresentation of LMICs within the editorial boards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwei Jia
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Donghua Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xingxuan Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Tianlin Wen
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiyan Zhao
- Department of Endocrinology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Sports Medicine, Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
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Wen T, Liu D, Li X, Zhang Y, Jia Z, Wu Y, Li W. How international are the editorial boards in the field of hand research? A cross-sectional study of leading subspecialty hand journals. J Orthop Surg Res 2023; 18:576. [PMID: 37550717 PMCID: PMC10405437 DOI: 10.1186/s13018-023-04068-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have great disease burden, but the lack of studies from LMIC have been shown in several fields. Multiple researchers from LMIC perceive editorial bias against their studies. Editorial board members (EBMs) from LMIC are under-represented across many medical journals. It is still unclear whether this phenomenon exists in the field of hand research. The purpose of this study was to investigate the composition of EBMs in leading subspecialty hand journals, and to reveal the international representation of EBMs in the field of hand research. METHODS This cross-sectional study included seven leading subspecialty hand journals. The EBMs were obtained from the journals' websites. The country affiliations of EBMs were categorized based on their locations and economy status. The composition of EBMs was investigated. RESULTS There were 211 EBMs in the seven journals. A total of 185 EBMs (87.7%) were affiliated with high-income countries (HIC), 18 (8.5%) with upper middle-income countries, and 8 (3.8%) with lower middle-income countries. None EBMs were affiliated with low income countries. The EBMs were affiliated with 30 countries. The biggest number of EBMs were affiliated with the USA 74 (35.07%), followed by the United Kingdom (45, 21.33%), and France (13, 6.16%). Most of EBMs were based in Europe and Central Asia (86, 40.8%) and North America (81, 38.4%). CONCLUSIONS The EBMs of leading subspecialty hand journals are dominated by HIC with a very low representation of LMIC. There is a need to make the editorial boards more international in the field of hand research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianlin Wen
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Donghua Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xingxuan Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of TCM Orthopedics, Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiwei Jia
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
| | - Yaohong Wu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Ganzhou People's Hospital, Ganzhou, China.
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Sports Medicine, Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
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Jia Z, Liu D, Xu J, Wang Q, Yin S, Zhang L, Li X, Qian B, Wu Y, Wen T. How international are the editorial boards in the field of foot and ankle surgery?: A STROBE-compliant cross-sectional study. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e32400. [PMID: 36595781 PMCID: PMC9794323 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000032400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Very low proportions of publications from low- and middle-income countries (LAMIC) have been proved in multiple fields. Some researchers from these countries believe that there is a biased attitude of editors against their studies. Under-representation of editorial board members from LAMIC were revealed in many research fields. However, it has not been investigated in the field of foot and ankle surgery. The current study aimed to analyze the composition of the editorial board members in leading foot and ankle journals, and to provide the international representation of editorial boards in the field of foot and ankle surgery. Five leading journals in the field of foot and ankle surgery were included. The editorial board members were collected from the official websites of these journals. The countries of board members were classified based on World Bank. The board compositions of the journals were analyzed. In total, 229 editorial board members were identified. These editors were from 29 countries. The United States (29.69%) had the greatest number of editors, followed by the United Kingdom (20.52%), Australia (8.30%), Italy (6.11%), and Germany (5.68%). When the editors were classified by regions, 49.34% of board members were from Europe & Central Asia, followed by North America (31.44%), East Asia & Pacific (14.41%), Latin America & Caribbean (2.62%), and Middle East & North Africa (2.18%). No editors were from South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 217 editors (94.76%) were from high-income countries, followed by upper-middle-income countries (3.06%), and lower-middle-income countries (2.18%). No members were from low-income countries. There is a lack of international representation on editorial boards of leading foot and ankle journals. Editorial board members in the field of foot and ankle surgery are largely composed by editors from high-income countries with sever under-representation of LAMIC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwei Jia
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Donghua Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Jiao Xu
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Shi Yin
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Longyu Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xingxuan Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Qian
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Yaohong Wu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Ganzhou People’s Hospital, Ganzhou, China
| | - Tianlin Wen
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- * Correspondence: Tianlin Wen, Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 5, Haiyuncang Road, Beijing 100700, China (e-mail: ) and Yaohong Wu, Department of Spine Surgery, Ganzhou People's Hospital, No 16, Meiguan Road, Ganzhou 341099, China (e-mail: )
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Abouzeid M, Muthanna A, Nuwayhid I, El-Jardali F, Connors P, Habib RR, Akbarzadeh S, Jabbour S. Barriers to sustainable health research leadership in the Global South: Time for a Grand Bargain on localization of research leadership? Health Res Policy Syst 2022; 20:136. [PMID: 36536392 PMCID: PMC9761652 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-022-00910-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Strong Global South (GS) health research leadership, itself both dependent on and a requisite for strong health research systems, is essential to generate locally relevant research and ensure that evidence is translated into policy and practice. Strong GS health research systems and leadership are important for health development and in turn for strong health systems. However, many GS countries struggle to produce research and to improve performance on widely used research metrics measuring productivity and reflecting leadership. Drawing on literature from a rapid review, this viewpoint paper considers the barriers to GS health research leadership and proposes strategies to address these challenges. FINDINGS GS researchers and institutions face numerous barriers that undermine health research leadership potential. Barriers internal to the GS include researcher-level barriers such as insufficient mentorship, limited financial incentives and time constraints. Institutional barriers include limited availability of resources, restrictive and poorly developed research infrastructures, weak collaboration and obstructive policies and procedures. Structural barriers include political will, politicization of research and political instability. External barriers relate to the nature and extent of Global North (GN) activities and systems and include allocation and distribution of funding and resources, characteristics and focus of GN-GS research collaborations, and publication and information dissemination challenges. CONCLUSIONS Strengthening GS health research leadership requires acknowledgement of the many barriers, and adoption of mitigating measures by a range of actors at the institutional, national, regional and global levels. Particularly important are leadership capacity development integrating researcher, institutional and systems initiatives; new GN-GS partnership models emphasizing capacity exchange and shared leadership; supporting GS research communities to set, own and drive their research agendas; addressing biases against GS researchers; ensuring that GS institutions address their internal challenges; enhancing South-South collaborations; diversifying research funding flow to the GS; and learning from models that work. The time has come for a firm commitment to improving localization of research leadership, supported by adequate funding flow, to ensure strong and sustainable research systems and leadership in and from the GS. Just as the humanitarian donor and aid community adopted the Grand Bargain commitment to improve funding flow through local and national responders in times of crisis, we strongly urge the global health research community to adopt a Grand Bargain for research leadership.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marian Abouzeid
- grid.22903.3a0000 0004 1936 9801The Lancet-American University of Beirut Commission on Syria, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon ,grid.22903.3a0000 0004 1936 9801Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon ,grid.1021.20000 0001 0526 7079Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC Australia ,grid.1021.20000 0001 0526 7079Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC Australia
| | - Ahlam Muthanna
- grid.22903.3a0000 0004 1936 9801The Lancet-American University of Beirut Commission on Syria, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Iman Nuwayhid
- grid.22903.3a0000 0004 1936 9801The Lancet-American University of Beirut Commission on Syria, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon ,grid.22903.3a0000 0004 1936 9801Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Fadi El-Jardali
- grid.22903.3a0000 0004 1936 9801Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Phil Connors
- grid.1021.20000 0001 0526 7079Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC Australia
| | - Rima R. Habib
- grid.22903.3a0000 0004 1936 9801Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Shahram Akbarzadeh
- grid.1021.20000 0001 0526 7079Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC Australia
| | - Samer Jabbour
- grid.22903.3a0000 0004 1936 9801The Lancet-American University of Beirut Commission on Syria, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon ,grid.22903.3a0000 0004 1936 9801Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
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Peer review: single-blind, double-blind, or all the way-blind? Int Urogynecol J 2019; 31:481-483. [PMID: 31820012 DOI: 10.1007/s00192-019-04187-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
A scholarly peer review is the process whereby referees scrutinize research work or a manuscript within their field of expertise and decide on its acceptability for publication in a journal or scientific proceeding. Ideally, peer review is impartial. Among the many models of peer review, the single blind is currently the most adopted model in scientific journals. The double-blind model has been claimed to decrease bias, despite some difficulty in implementation.
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Najjar W, Mouanness MA, Rameh G, Bazi T. International authorship in leading world journals on incontinence and pelvic floor disorders: Is it truly international? Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2019; 241:104-108. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2019.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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