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. 2020 Jan 3;9:e48774. doi: 10.7554/eLife.48774

Table 3. Research self-efficacy predicts publications for women and URM postdocs.

Incidence rate ratios (IRR) of first-author publications and relative mean change of first-author publication rates were calculated for respondents who identified as female or underrepresented minority (n = 1,211). The incident rate ratio (IRR) represents the change in the dependent variable in terms of a percentage increase or decrease, with the precise percentage determined by the amount the IRR is either above or below 1. In the pooled sample the IRR for female vs. male (URM vs. WR) is 0.87 (0.82), so there is a 13% (18%) decrease in the first author publications for females vs, males (URM vs. WR). Conversely, there was a 15% increase in the first author publications for every addition point on the self-efficacy scale. The relative mean change gives the percent increase (or decrease) in the response for every one-unit increase in the independent variable. In the pooled sample the percent decrease of first author publication rate for female vs. male (URM vs. WR) is 5% (20%). Conversely, there was a 21% increase in the first author publication rate for every addition point on the self-efficacy scale. Incidence rate ratios or relative mean change of research self-efficacy by subgroups of those identifying as male (n = 463), female (n = 748), well-represented (WR; n = 1,043) and underrepresented minority (URM; n = 168) were also calculated (last four rows of the table). All four subgroups showed a similar increase in the two dependent variables with respect to self-efficacy.

First-author publications First-author publication rate
IRR 95% CI p-value Mean Change 95% CI p-value
Pooled Sample
 Female vs. Male 0.87 0.81, 0.94 0.001 0.95 0.84, 1.07 0.27
 URM vs. WR 0.82 0.73, 0.91 0.001 0.80 0.67, 0.95 0.012
 Research self-efficacy 1.15 1.09, 1.21 0.000 1.21 1.13, 1.31 0.000
Subgroups
Research self-efficacy for men only 1.20 1.09, 1.31 0.000 1.23 1.08, 1.42 0.002
Research self-efficacy for women only 1.12 1.05, 1.19 0.001 1.21 1.09, 1.32 0.000
Research self-efficacy for
WR only
1.15 1.09, 1.23 0.000 1.23 1.17, 1.31 0.000
Research self-efficacy for
URM only
1.11 0.95, 1.28 0.196 1.22 1, 1.49 0.048