Racial, gender, sexual, and disability identities of the Journal of the Medical Library Association’s editorial board, reviewers, and authors

Abstract

The Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) recently issued a call for submissions that recognize and address social injustices; speak to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workforce and among our user populations; and share critical perspectives on health sciences librarianship as well as those on any topic within JMLA’s scope written by authors who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. We also committed to creating more equitable opportunities for authors, reviewers, and editorial board members from marginalized groups. As part of this effort, we conducted a demographic survey of all individuals who served as a member of the JMLA editorial board or reviewer or had submitted a manuscript to JMLA between 2018 and 2020. We found that most survey respondents are white, heterosexual, women and do not identify with a disability, meaning that JMLA is missing out on a diversity of perspectives and life experiences that could improve the journal’s processes and policies, enrich its content, and accelerate the research and practice of health sciences librarianship. Therefore, to avoid perpetuating or aggravating systemic biases and power structures in scholarly publishing or health sciences librarianship, we pledge to take concrete steps toward making JMLA a more diverse and inclusive journal.

Creating a more inclusive journal: the Journal of the Medical Library Association’s evolving process for selecting editorial board members

“…To inform our efforts to create more inclusive and equitable opportunities for authors, reviewers, and editorial board members, we conducted a demographic survey of all individuals who served as JMLA editorial board members or reviewers or had submitted a manuscript to JMLA between 2018 and 2020. We found that most respondents were white, heterosexual, women, and people without disabilities or impairments, similar to the demographic characteristics of the MLA membership [ 7 ]. While not altogether surprising, this finding suggests that JMLA lacked representation and contributions from individuals who do not meet the demographic “norm” of health sciences librarians and information specialists.…”

Bridges of perspectives: representation of people with lived experience of spinal cord injury in editorial boards and peer review

“…In the context of SCI, researchers are increasingly engaging research-end users, for example, clinicians, policy-makers and PWLE [ 35 ], to bridge the gap between research and practice. Representation of people with disabilities in journal practices and policies, however, remains limited [ 3 ].…”

“…Journal editorial boards, editors, and reviewers have been described as gatekeepers of knowledge [ 1 ], influencing the landscape of published research. By broadening the scope of publishable material, editors and reviewers with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences construct an equitable peer review [ 1 – 3 ] and mitigate the influence of social bias, inaccessible infrastructure, and discrimination in the process [ 4 , 5 ]. Biases arising from the exclusion of the perspectives and opinions of an affected community can lead to an undervaluing of the research, and the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes [ 6 ].…”

“…These studies have highlighted the disparity in representation of women, people from marginalized communities, and non-US-based researchers in editorial positions, especially in leadership roles. A recent study led by the Journal of Medical Library Association [ 3 ] found that 80% of 46 editorial board members and 65% of 162 reviewers did not identify as having a disability or impairment. There have also been recent developments by publishers such as Lancet Psychiatry (Elsevier Press) that have subscribed to the goal of addressing barriers to participation and enhancing diversity across the publication landscape.…”

Health sciences librarians of African heritage: an earnest entreaty for research

“…We believe it behooves the members of the profession of medical librarianship to find funding and carry out surveys and studies to elucidate the information needed to encourage changes in our profession that will inspire the welcoming of more diversity into our profession and our information centers, wherever they may be. The recent paper by Akers et al in this journal is to be commended for their efforts in this direction [ 20 ].…”