Table 1.
Characteristics of analyzed articles
| Characteristic | Clinical journals (n=101 720) | PubMed indexed journals (n=6 246 112) |
|---|---|---|
| Sex composition of lead authors: | ||
| Female first and last author | 17% | 16% |
| Female first and male last author | 16% | 23% |
| Male first and female last author | 9% | 11% |
| Male first and last author | 57% | 51% |
| Percentage female authors on byline | 37% | 35% |
| Mean No of authors per paper | 7.2 | 4.8 |
| Median publication year | 2010 | 2011 |
| Journal impact factor (JIF) tier: | ||
| Paper published in journal with JIF >10 | 61% | 5% |
| Paper published in journal with JIF ≤10 | 39% | 95% |
| Median centile for positively presented research topics based on MeSH terms per paper* | 43.8 | 47.7 |
| No (%) of papers using positive words | 12 309 (12%) | 729 619 (12%) |
*
Based on 96 543 clinical articles and 5 046 315 life science articles with associated MeSH terms. Percentages on the sex composition of lead authors do not sum to 100% due to rounding. Clinical journals included in the analysis and their associated journal impact factor (JIF) are listed in the appendix on bmj.com.