Does gender predict research awards among prolific suicidologists? A research note.

Background: Rewards can both validate and promote the stature of a researcher in their field. Research has been mixed on the role of gender as a predictor of receiving scholarly awards, but much of it lacks control for research excellence, and awards in interdisciplinary associations have been neglected. This study fills these gaps for suicidology.

Methods: Bibliometric data from the Web of Science was utilized for this study. To control for research excellence the analysis is restricted to the 116 most highly prolific researchers, each with 70 or more works published on suicide, from the Web of Science. The research awards in suicidology, given by three different interdisciplinary associations, include the Louis I. Dublin Award, the Morselli Medal, and the Stengel Research Award. The link between gender and receipt of a major award is adjusted for possible mediators including long-term research productivity (h-index), years of experience, and organizational prestige.

Results: While the percentage of women winning awards is less than that of men, we find that there is no significant difference between the genders. The quality of research and years of experience predict the receipt of each award.

Conclusion: Based on a bibliometric analysis, women are not at a disadvantage in receiving research awards in suicidology. These results are consistent with recent research on gender and awards in economics, mathematics, and psychology.