Balancing the byline: exploring gender and authorship patterns in Canadian Science Publishing journals

Canada is internationally recognized for its leadership in science and its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. Despite this leadership, limited research has examined gender disparities in scientific publishing within the Canadian context. This study analyzed over 67 000 articles submitted to 24 Canadian Science Publishing (CSP) journals between 2010 and 2021 to better understand patterns of gender representation. Findings showed that women accounted for less than one-third of published authors across CSP journals. Representation varied by discipline, with higher percentages of women in biomedical sciences and lower percentages of women in engineering, trends that mirror national and global patterns. Notably, the percentage of women submitting manuscripts closely matched those published, suggesting that broader workforce disparities may play a larger role than publication bias. Women were less likely to be solo authors or hold prominent authorship positions, such as first or last author, roles typically associated with research leadership and career advancement. These findings point to the need for a two-fold response: continued efforts to address systemic barriers to women's participation in STEM, and a review of publishing practices to identify effective strategies that ensure equitable access, recognition, and inclusion for all researchers.