Background: While other otolaryngology subspecialties have established female authorship trends, there is no comprehensive study within head and neck surgery (HNS).
Methods: Five researchers recorded the gender identity of first and senior authors from HNS subspecialty papers (head and neck oncology, endocrine surgery, salivary gland pathology, and microsurgery) derived from 10 journals in otolaryngology and oncology in the years 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2022.
Results: From 3457 articles, 6901 unique author identities were analyzed. Female authors represented 32% (N = 1103) of first authors and 20% (N = 690) of senior authors. Female authors were less likely to publish in microvascular and reconstructive surgery. Senior female authors were more likely to publish in higher impact journals than male senior authors, and first female authors had an increased likelihood of funding compared to their male counterparts.
Conclusions: While female authors remain underrepresented in certain literature, we illustrate promising trends in productivity, funding allocation, and impact.
Keywords: authorship; disparities; female authorship; head and neck surgery; medical education; otolaryngology.
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