Authorship in scientific publications. Audit of the Journal "Strahlentherapie and Onkologie"

Background: The quality of the contributions to "Strahlentherapie and Onkologie" is assessed, aiming for improvement of the journal and consequently its impact factor. Material and Methods: All 164 articles published during 1999 and 2000 in the categories "review", "original article", and "short communication" were analyzed concerning the handling of authorship. Result: A median number of five authors and two institutions contribute to one publication. In no case the contribution of individual authors was specified. The proportion of women in radiooncological research is significantly Less than their proportion in the German radiooncological society DEGRO (p < 0.0001). There were only eight female senior authors which is also significantly Less than expected (p = 0.001). The fraction of female first authors corresponds to their fraction among authors. Conclusion: The criteria for authorship of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft should be regarded for. The contribution of individual authors should be specified. Women appear to be underrepresented in research and in leading positions in radiooncology.