Improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in academia

Omar Dewidar; Nour Elmestekawy; Vivian Welch

doi:10.1186/s41073-022-00123-z

Improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in academia

Res Integr Peer Rev. 2022 Jul 4;7(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s41073-022-00123-z.

Authors

Omar Dewidar¹, Nour Elmestekawy^{2

3}, Vivian Welch^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Bruyere Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Odewi090@uottawa.ca.
² Bruyere Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
³ Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁴ School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Abstract

There are growing bodies of evidence demonstrating the benefits of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) on academic and organizational excellence. In turn, some editors have stated their desire to improve the EDI of their journals and of the wider scientific community. The Royal Society of Chemistry established a minimum set of requirements aimed at improving EDI in scholarly publishing. Additionally, several resources were reported to have the potential to improve EDI, but their effectiveness and feasibility are yet to be determined. In this commentary we suggest six approaches, based on the Royal Society of Chemistry set of requirements, that journals could implement to improve EDI. They are: (1) adopt a journal EDI statement with clear, actionable steps to achieve it; (2) promote the use of inclusive and bias-free language; (3) appoint a journal's EDI director or lead; (4) establish a EDI mentoring approach; (5) monitor adherence to EDI principles; and (6) publish reports on EDI actions and achievements. We also provide examples of journals that have implemented some of these strategies, and discuss the roles of peer reviewers, authors, researchers, academic institutes, and funders in improving EDI.

Keywords: Diversity; Editorial bias; Equity; Inclusion; Journal policies; Research Integrity.

Publication types

Letter