Paving the way to inclusive journals and research

Why we’re asking people to voluntarily self-report gender identity and race & ethnicity data in Editorial Manager

As part of our commitment to advance inclusion in research, Elsevier has introduced the opportunity for our external editors, reviewers and authors to choose to self-report their gender identity, ethnic origins and race while signing into in Editorial Manager.

Inclusion in publishing, as part of the research ecosystem, is an important factor in creating actionable, insightful and relevant research, protecting against biases and promoting innovation and development. Incorporating voluntary, self-reported diversity questions in the publishing process is one of the ways we are working to increase inclusion in publishing.

Why ask about these three areas?

By inviting Editorial Manager users to self-report their gender identity, ethnic origins, and race, Elsevier facilitates an evidence-based approach to advancing inclusion in research. By analyzing these data, we aim to increase representation among external participants in our journal editorial processes, remediate unfair editorial bias, and drive greater equity for all in publishing and research more broadly.

How did we create the questions?

Elsevier’s self-identification questions use the schemas approved by the joint commitment for action on inclusion and diversity in publishing led by the Royal Society of Chemistry, along with 53 publishers, as part of its diversity data collection in scholarly publishing initiative. Development of the schema was an iterative process that drew on input from the Joint Commitment group, external subject matter expert Ann Morning, professor of sociology at New York University, Elsevier’s Inclusion & Diversity Advisory Board, and feedback from a large-scale, global researcher survey Elsevier conducted.

What will we do with the data?

The data collected will be used to improve inclusion across journal editorial processes. We aim to review the editorial process holistically, from submission through to publication, including reviewer and Editorial Board selection. If there are lawful opportunities to further advance inclusion, such as by enhancing outreach, we aim to take action to adopt them; similarly, if we discover biases in our editorial processes, we will work to remediate them. These data are not seen, accessed, or used by anyone during the manuscript submission or peer review process

All data are aggregated and anonymized for reporting purposes.

Where do we go from here?

The program has been a success so far, with more than 3.5 million individuals self-reporting their gender identity, ethnic origins and race. Next steps include additional reporting, to better understand the status of our journals, as well as to think about the future. Stay tuned to find out more!

Further reading

• Why am I being asked to self-report my gender identity and race & ethnicity data in Editorial Manager? (FAQs)