Child health research in contrasting economies: gender recognition and publishing portraits.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to discover gender domains and publishing portraits in child health research across two large groups of divergent economies.

METHOD

All abstracts from original articles (2004-2008) stored in the electronic literature database Web of Science on the cut-off day. i.e., 19 January 2009, were assessed when they met the selection criteria. A critical discourse analysis methodology (Foucault) was used.

RESULTS

The biomedical approach established the publishing scene whereas an integrated social approach toward gender recognition was seldom found. Articles from low- and lower-middle-income economies were almost out of the publishing gaze.

CONCLUSION

This might be due to search terms, journals indexed in the Web of Sciences, analytical tools, and recording principles within the literature databases reviewed, thus creating risks for information bias. This underscores the need for further research regarding gender recognition in database managements and the availability of electronic literature databases, particularly in economically disadvantaged regions.