Women conduct more useful research than men, study says

A research study has suggested that female-authored research has more educational impact than male-authored research. The study in the Journal of Altmetrics – a newly launched peer-reviewed open-access journal – compared how many people read articles by male or female first authors in the same field using data from users of reference manager Mendeley, writes Lindsay McKenzie for Inside Higher Ed.

Female-authored research was more likely to be read by undergraduates, masters students and junior researchers than male-authored research, the study found. Given that these students are unlikely to be seeking out research by female authors, the study suggests that women may be authoring research that is less esoteric, more human related or written in a more accessible way than their male colleagues' research.

“Although the evidence is weak, the findings raise the possibility that female-authored research has, on average, a greater non-research impact within education,” the study concludes.
Full report on the Inside Higher Ed site