Diversity, equity and inclusion in publishing at Elsevier: An author guide

At Elsevier, we promote and advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) throughout the research and publishing process, in collaboration with our editors, society partners, the research community and other publishers, via the joint commitment for action on inclusion and diversity in publishing(opens in new tab/window).

DEI protects against gaps and biases, minimizes confirmation bias, and promotes innovation and development. It is crucial for rigor, quality and progress in science. It benefits not only individuals, by supporting every person to advance and excel, but also ensures more equitable and impactful research outcomes for society as a whole.

At Elsevier, our approach to advancing DEI throughout the research and publishing process is collaborative and evidence-based.

We undertake a range of activities to support inclusion and diversity in science. Our March 2022 Inclusion & Diversity Advisory Board Report summarizes our progress during the two years since the Board’s inception.

Processes & Tools

We innovate our processes, workflows and tools to support DEI throughout the publishing process.

Avoiding publication bias

Initiatives such as Registered Reports and Results Masked Review aim for work to be judged on the merits of the research question and methodology, not the findings.

Both models seek to prevent publication bias and enhance transparency, thereby ensuring that results aren’t skewed in pursuit of publication.

Inclusive peer review

Using diverse sources to identify suitable reviewers helps to diversify the candidates who are invited to review or join journals’ reviewer communities. In support of this, we provide editors with a selection of tools(opens in new tab/window) and best practice on how to utilize them to promote inclusion.

Our processes and workflow innovations further support inclusion and diversity. For example, structured peer review makes peer review more accessible to early career researchers and researchers from across the globe for whom English might not be their first language, while aspiring reviewers can volunteer to review(opens in new tab/window) for relevant journals via the Reviewer Hub, with their interest then visible to editors during the reviewer invitation process.

Best practice

We strive to raise awareness and understanding, and to encourage adoption of best practice (including through policies), in pursuit of DEI.

Self-reporting diversity data in Editorial Manager

We pursue an evidence-based approach to advancing DEI. In line with this, we are inviting editors, reviewers and authors to optionally self-report their diversity data in Editorial Manager. The gender identity, race and ethnicity (GRE) schemas used as part of this are those developed collaboratively across publishers(opens in new tab/window), led by Elsevier's Dr Holly Falk-Krzesinski, and endorsed in April 2022(opens in new tab/window). The self-reported data will enable us to put in place actions, set goals and measure progress to improve diversity across journal editorial processes and drive greater equity in publishing and research more broadly.

Editorial team diversity

In 2016, we began engaging editors on the importance of gender-balanced editorial teams and we continue this dialogue today, for example, evaluating how we support women researchers to advance into editorial roles and seeking to learn what more we can do.

We work closely with our editors to promote transparency about editorial team diversity, and accountability to our communities about ambitions to further DEI. All Elsevier journals display the geographical breakdown of Editorial Boards on their journal homepages, and over 1,300 titles display self-reported gender data. Around 75% of Elsevier journals have published pledges on their journal homepages committing to improve diversity in their editorial teams with defined objectives.

Training and guidance for you

We continuously review and enhance guidance to provide you with the most up-to-date advice how to promote inclusion and diversity in your research and publication practices. Please view our Researcher Academy inclusion and diversity modules(opens in new tab/window) and refer to journals’ guides for authors.

Our guides for authors advise you on the use of inclusive language, discussed further in this Authors’ Update article on using language to empower. We are currently working on introducing a section on the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines(opens in new tab/window), which recognize the importance of sex and gender within the research itself, a dimension of analysis that has a critical impact on research quality and outcomes.

Please continue to refer to Elsevier's Researcher Academy(opens in new tab/window) for the latest information and insights to support you.

Training and guidance for other roles

Our Editor Essentials module on inclusion and diversity provides editors with practical actions to advance inclusion and diversity among journals’ Editorial Boards, reviewers and authors.

Similarly, we work to provide new and aspiring reviewers with a thorough grounding in the principles and practice of refereeing via our certified peer reviewer course(opens in new tab/window) (a Chinese language version is also available). From here, they are signposted to the Reviewer Hub where they can volunteer to review(opens in new tab/window) for relevant journals. This plays an important role in making reviewing more inclusive.

Avoiding unconscious bias

Several organizations(opens in new tab/window) and groups(opens in new tab/window), Elsevier among them(opens in new tab/window), are making conscious efforts to tackle unconscious bias which, if left unchecked, can risk negatively impacting the publication of good research. This has led to the creation of a number of resources which can be employed to identify and combat unconscious bias or to reduce the likelihood of it affecting the peer review and academic publishing process, summarized in this article exploring unconscious bias, and on our dedicated unconscious bias page.

Inclusive name change policy

Elsevier’s trans-inclusive policy for author name changes allows transgender authors, and other authors who need to change their name privately, e.g., for reasons of personal safety, to update their name on previously published papers invisibly, i.e., with a resupply and no erratum / corrigendum. This policy, which is aligned with industry best practice(opens in new tab/window), enables us to help protect authors’ privacy and safety, while still safeguarding the scholarly record.