背景:来自低收入和中等收入国家(LMICs)的学术著作在学术文献中的代表性不足是一个记录在案的问题,部分归因于编辑偏见。这种趋势,普遍存在于各种学科中,在医学伦理学期刊的背景下,研究较少。这项研究旨在研究高影响力医学伦理期刊中编辑委员会成员(EBM)的组成,并评估这些编辑团队中国际多样性的程度。
方法:本研究纳入了对16种影响较大的医学伦理期刊的分析。有关这些期刊的EBM的信息是根据世界银行的国家收入分类系统地收集和分类的。然后对编辑委员会的组成进行了深入的审查。
结果:该研究在选定的期刊中确定了669例EBM。89.84%(601)的成员来自高收入国家(HIC),中上收入国家占7.47%(50),中低收入国家占2.69%(18)。没有EBM与低收入国家相关。区域细分表明,北美是最具代表性的地区,占48.88%(327),其次是欧洲和中亚(27.50%,184),东亚和太平洋地区(13.45%,90),拉丁美洲和加勒比地区(4.63%,31),撒哈拉以南非洲(4.19%,28),中东和北非(0.75%,5),和南亚(0.60%,4).总的来说,这些EBM来自46个不同的国家,美国所占比例最大(43.80%,293),其次是英国(13.15%,88),澳大利亚(7.92%,53),德国(6.73%,45),和加拿大(5.08%,34).
结论:高影响力医学伦理学期刊在EBM中缺乏国际代表性。该领域的大多数编辑都隶属于HIC,导致编辑委员会中LMIC的代表性严重不足。
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.
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.
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).
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.