Male scientists more likely to blow their own trumpet when it comes to research

Male scientists are significantly more likely than female colleagues to present their studies more favourably in research titles and abstracts, and these differences appear to lead to higher citations, according to new analysis published by an international team led by Harvard Medical School researchers. The study, which is believed to be the first large-scale attempt to quantify gender differences in language used in scientific literature, analysed more than 6 million peer-reviewed clinical and life science publications and found that those with male lead authors were up to 21% more likely to use this positive framing than those with female lead authors.