Inequity in peer review in communication sciences and disorders

Abstract

Under review at the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Purpose: The field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD) faces a critical shortage of faculty to train the next generation of practitioners and researchers, as well as of minorities from marginalized backgrounds. In parallel, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion by retaining and advancing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) faculty in CSD. Given that publishing research is central to retention and advancement, this tutorial addresses the challenge of inequity in peer review and provides some practical strategies for developing equitable peer review practices.Method: We describe the demographics of ASHA constituents, including those holding research doctorates, who would typically be involved in peer review. Next, we explore the peer review process, describing examples from an ASHA journal to emphasize how inequity in peer review may adversely impact BIPOC authors or research with BIPOC communities. Finally, we offer real-world examples of and a framework for equitable peer review.Conclusions: Inequity at the individual and systemic levels in peer review can harm BIPOC CSD authors. Such inequity has effects not limited to peer review itself and exerts long-term adverse effects on the retention and advancement of BIPOC faculty in CSD. To uphold ASHA’s commitment to DEI and to progress the field of CSD, it is imperative to build equity into the editorial structure for publishing, the composition of editorial boards, and journals content. While we focus on inequity in the field of CSD, these issues are relevant to other fields.