Differences in STEM doctoral publication by ethnicity, gender and academic field at a large public research university

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton; Colette Patt; Aaron Fisher; Andrew Eppig; Ira Young; Andrew Smith; Mark A Richards

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174296

Differences in STEM doctoral publication by ethnicity, gender and academic field at a large public research university

PLoS One. 2017 Apr 5;12(4):e0174296. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174296. eCollection 2017.

Authors

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton¹, Colette Patt², Aaron Fisher¹, Andrew Eppig^{3

4}, Ira Young^{2

5}, Andrew Smith⁶, Mark A Richards⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
² Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
³ Office of Planning and Analysis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
⁴ Office of Equity and Inclusion, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
⁵ Division of Social Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
⁶ Graduate Division, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
⁷ Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America.

Abstract

Two independent surveys of PhD students in STEM fields at the University of California, Berkeley, indicate that underrepresented minorities (URMs) publish at significantly lower rates than non-URM males, placing the former at a significant disadvantage as they compete for postdoctoral and faculty positions. Differences as a function of gender reveal a similar, though less consistent, pattern. A conspicuous exception is Berkeley's College of Chemistry, where publication rates are tightly clustered as a function of ethnicity and gender, and where PhD students experience a highly structured program that includes early and systematic involvement in research, as well as clear expectations for publishing. Social science research supports the hypothesis that this more structured environment hastens the successful induction of diverse groups into the high-performance STEM academic track.

MeSH terms

Achievement
Engineering
Faculty
Female
Humans
Male
Mathematics
Publications / statistics & numerical data*
Publishing / statistics & numerical data
Research / statistics & numerical data
Research Report
Science
Students / statistics & numerical data
Universities / statistics & numerical data

Grants and funding

This research is supported by the National Science Foundation (nsf.gov) under Award Numbers 1038192 and 1306747, as well as grant from the Kapor Center for Social Impact (kaporcenter.org), to MAR. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.