Five things you should do as a journal editor to support social justice
How you can take small steps to support social justice
Today, the world of science is not fair. We know that there are underrepresented groups in both science and publishing w1,w2 and inequalities are contributing to real disparities within our scientific communities.
We believe it is time for all journal editors to take action. We all must put equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) at the forefront of our agendas and encourage our colleagues to do the same. Only by leading from the top will you support others to also eradicate prejudice and discrimination. You can do this by making small but monumental changes, which will also help to protect the moral principles of your journal.
As one of the 30+ publisher signatories to the Joint Commitment for Action on Inclusion and Diversity in Publishing, BMJ Group continuously scrutinises our processes to minimise the apparent publishing biases – whilst recognising that there is so much more that we all need to do.
Where do journals and editors fit into the perpetuating cycle of social injustice?
Many of us might assume that there is little impact a journal editor can make on creating more diversity in research. When a manuscript has been submitted to a journal, the work has already been carried out.
Now is the time to move away from this line of thinking and instead consider the research-to-publication process as a cycle. What happens at the end of the cycle has as much impact on the start as it does on the outcome.
Take, for instance, the traditional “publish or perish” nature of STEM publishing: an individual’s publication rate is likely to affect their career progression w3 and studies have shown that there is a disproportionately higher rejection rate for authors from underrepresented groups.w2, w4,w5
This is largely attributed to unconscious bias in the decision making and peer review processesw6 – both areas in which are directly within the journals and editors sphere of influence.
By not stepping in from the start, as a journal editor, you are contributing to social injustice through inaction.
“I am reaching out because, we have continuously come back to your page on ‘Five things you should do as a journal editor to support social justice’ – particularly the graphic on the cycle of injustice. This visual
is quite impactful and will aid in our efforts for editors to understand how their journal strategies and decisions affect the broader research
ecosystem.””Shaina Lange
Shaina Lange, Publishing Integrity Office Global Editorial Operations, Journals Publishing Group, American Chemical Society
Five quick wins
1. Add diversity to the agenda of your next editorial meeting
This is your opportunity to talk openly about structural racism and other biases inherent in publishing and your field and this will show your editorial team that EDI is an important objective of the journal. Use this time to ask your team the following:
- In which processes and areas can your journal improve? What approaches can they suggest to make these improvements?
- How can editorial team members improve their working awareness of unconscious bias?
- What actionable steps can they take to consciously reduce the impact of bias on editorial decision making?
2. Diversify your commissioning
Lack of diversity of authorship is not something we can address overnight, but commissioning is one area where you as editors have the most direct influence.
- Start by taking stock of your commissioning contact list and identify where it needs to diversify
- Actively seek diversity when inviting editorials, commentary, blogs and podcast guests
- Consider avoiding commissioning pieces with an all-male author line-up by inviting a mix of genders to take part
- Review your instructions for authors and ensure you are appropriately encouraging diversity, for example, ask authors to consider involving co-authors from underrepresented groups
3. Diversify your editorial team and advisory board
The diversity of your editorial team has been shown to impact the diversity of both your peer review pool and authorship diversityw7.
You want to maintain a broad range of voices from ethnically and geographically diverse backgrounds.
To improve in this area, consider the following:
- Review your recruitment sources, and how you word invitations to join and use networks
- Ask board members to nominate colleagues from underrepresented backgrounds
- Expand your numbers (if needed) to gain diversity
- Consider having observers and/or associate members as a training opportunity. This is a good way to train new board members, creates earlier career research opportunities, and can gain more from those more experienced but with limited time
4. Diversify your peer reviewer pool
Finding peer reviewers can be a challenge in itself, but making the effort to diversify your peer reviewer pool can help with reviewer scarcity.
Another positive aspect of widening your pool is that it will actively showcase other aspects of diversity and inclusion initiative for your journal.
For instance, editorial boards with larger peer reviewer poolsw5 will illustrate their awareness of unconscious bias as they invite and select suitable reviewers.
- Update your public-facing resources to encourage authors to recommend reviewers from under-represented backgrounds.
- Review invitation wording to ensure it is always inclusive
- Consider your sources for finding peer reviewers
- Consider your policies on co-reviewing and reviewer mentorship and how they are credited, this can be a good way of helping new reviewers gain experience.
5. Appoint a lead for diversity and inclusion for your journal
Lastly, we strongly recommend appointing a lead on all matters related to diversity and inclusion. This is a quick and easy way to ensure the journal is progressing in its EDI goals. Such responsibilities can include (but are not limited to):
- Review processes and working with the Editor in Chief (EIC) to set priorities
- Develop strategies that will diversify authorship, peer review, editorial teams, and the advisory board
- Monitor and increase diversity amongst author and peer reviewer groups
- Raise awareness of unconscious bias amongst the editorial team, and drive initiatives that will keep these important areas at the top of the agenda
