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How to create a journal diversity, equity & inclusion statement

how-to-create-a-journal-diversity-equity-inclusion-statement

At Wiley, we believe that diversity strengthens knowledge. Our priority is publishing high-quality work that reflects, and originates from, the whole community. It is our responsibility to ensure that everyone is given an equal voice in a world where marginalized groups are still very often discriminated against. We know that our partners feel the same. However, we are also aware that it can be very easy to express an intent and much harder to actually achieve it. With this in mind, we have generated this guide to creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement, which we hope will give you some of the tools you need to join us in proactively engaging with our shared values.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) statements are increasingly common on journal homepages. Editors and journal owners alike are using these statements to raise awareness and to signal a clear position and intent to improve DE&I outcomes for the entire research community. Many editors and partners are seeking Wiley’s help to write these statements and, while we believe they are more meaningful and impactful when crafted to suit an individual journal’s needs, we are pleased to offer guidance on what constitutes a meaningful inclusivity statement.

Definitions

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) is a phrase that broadly outlines an effort to create a more welcoming environment for all people and to create meaningful, systemic change toward a more equitable community.

Diversity involves “the recognition of the visible and invisible physical and social characteristics that make an individual or group of individuals different from one another, and by doing so, celebrating that difference as a source of strength for the community at large.” (Rodriguez, 2016, p. 242)1

Equity refers to the “enactment of specific policies and practices that ensure equitable access and opportunities for success for everyone. It is important to differentiate equity from equality… in order to be equitable, we cannot treat everyone the same. To be equitable, we must treat individuals according to their needs and provide multiple opportunities for success.” (Rodriguez, 2016, p. 243)1

Inclusion involves “bringing together and harnessing these diverse forces and resources, in a way that is beneficial. Inclusion puts the concept and practice of diversity into action by creating an environment of involvement, respect, and connection where the richness of ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives are harnessed to create business value. Organizations need both diversity and inclusion to be successful.” (Jordan, 2011)2

Why have a statement?

DE&I statements are a transparent, public way of demonstrating your drive to improve DE&I practices in a journal or organization. They give you goals to work towards and help you to keep evolving and making changes for the better. As engagement increases, submissions and usage will increase from all areas of the community, by making it known that you provide a welcoming and inclusive space for everyone. We hope that these statements will also encourage change in the broader subject communities.

To further support any such statement, we recommend creating a ‘DE&I Action Plan’ page, which will enable you to detail the actions and changes that you intend to implement. However, we recognize that this may be a longer-term addition to your work. Please contact your Journal Publishing Manager to find out more on how to implement this next step.

How to use this resource

DE&I statements are most effective when they are specific to your subject area and journal, and when they propose action. They should be active, evolving statements rather than passive, static ones (see step 3 for more detail). We recognize that taking the first step to writing such a statement can be a daunting task. This resource has been developed to provide some inspiration and guidance to empower our Editors and Societies to start the conversation and actively commit to making improvements. Below is a step-by-step guide that we recommend following, outlining how to write a targeted and effective DE&I statement.

Step 1: Assess the needs of the research community and journal

Ask yourself the following questions listed below. You may want to discuss them with other stakeholders (journals publishing managers, editor(s)-in-chief, editorial board members, society leadership if applicable, etc.) as the statement should be agreed upon and supported by those involved in your editorial processes and decision making.

What are the needs of your research community?

  • Is there a disparity in the proportions of people of different ethnicities or genders within your subject area? Does the community have a good representation of people with disabilities and is your research accessible? There are many other ways to consider whether the journal community as a whole (and the research it produces) is inclusive; these are just some suggestions and are in no way exhaustive. Looking at the representation of ethnicities, races, colors, religions, sexes, sexual orientations, gender identities, national origins, disabilities, ages, socio-economic backgrounds and other aspects of individual status in your research community, journal, and the research it publishes are a starting point.
  • If there is a limited representation of marginalized groups within your research community and scholarship, how can you strive to help the community improve this representation?
  • Please note, we’re not suggesting that one statement will be sufficient to resolve issues with diversity across an entire research community, but it is important to be aware of the issues within your field and to encourage others to help you improve them.

What are the needs of the journal?

  • Is the journal representative? Do your editorial board members, reviewers and authors represent the breadth of society as a whole? Is there, for example, a diverse mix of ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, and gender representation (including trans- and non-binary individuals)? In reflecting on this please take into consideration the sensitivity and privacy of the individual.
  • What other measures could you put into place to improve diversity and inclusion in the journal? Examples might include ensuring diversity on the panel at any journal events, and training editors in the awareness of bias or discrimination in peer review.
  • Avoid vague language and token statements – be direct, specific, and sincere. Acknowledge current shortcomings and progress necessary.

Step 2: Identify priorities

Once you have answered the questions above, consider these aspects: what are the key priorities for the journal? What do you want to focus on in the first instance? We recommend discussing this with your Wiley contact and other editorial stakeholders. Here are some examples:

  • Review the diversity of the editorial board. Are there barriers to the inclusion of any individual groups? What are those barriers, and in which ways might your journal have helped construct them?
  • Adopt more transparent recruitment processes for editorial board candidates and other journal representatives.
  • Encourage authors to adopt more inclusive citation practices.
  • Foster inclusive language.
  • Improve the diversity of invited reviewers.

We recognize this work represents a big undertaking and might take some time to work through. Not all of it can be done at once. You and your editorial stakeholders can prioritize the activities that best suit your immediate goals and work through the remainder in time.

Below you will see examples of DE&I statements from journals published by Wiley. These examples include specific language signaling the key areas or priorities:

Step 3: Acknowledge this is an ongoing process

Finally, we recommend making it clear in your statement that no one has or can have all the answers. This is an evolving process that will need commitment and consistent work to continue improving our world. This ‘disclaimer’ is intended to show that we recognize that we will continue to learn, monitor, and progress and that we are open to suggestions as to how we can improve. As we mentioned, DE&I statements should be active statements rather than passive, static ones. Stating a commitment publicly is not enough. To show ongoing commitment, you should strive to set priorities, minimum targets, and new goals; ensuring continued progression. Don’t forget to monitor the impact of your actions and revisit the statement on a regular basis, adapting as needed to address the changing needs of the journal and community.

Other resources

Please see additional examples at the following links:

We hope that this helps to simplify the DE&I statement development process. We understand that it’s a complex endeavor and that sometimes it might feel easier to say nothing rather than risk saying the wrong thing, but we hope this guide empowers you to write your DE&I statement with confidence and meaning.

As we continue to learn together, we welcome feedback on this resource and remain committed to updating this as we receive new insights. Please contact us at editors@wiley.com to share your thoughts and experiences.

 

Acknowledgement: Thank you to our authors Emily Davies, Journals Publishing Manager & Georgina Bolwell, Senior Journals Publishing Assistant.

Thanks to Jessica Miorini and Kathryn Strobles for their input on an early version of this article. Also thanks to the DE&I Core Working Group for their feedback.

 

References

1. Rodriguez, A. J. (2016). For whom do we do equity and social justice work? Recasting the discourse about the Other to effect transformative change. In N. M. Joseph, C. Haynes, & F. Cobb, Interrogating whiteness and relinquishing power: White faculty's commitment to racial consciousness in STEM classrooms. New York, New York, USA: Peter Lang.

2. Jordan, T. J. (2011). From Diversity to Inclusion. Profiles in Diversityhttp://www.orgwise.ca/sites/osi.ocasi.org.stage/files/Moving%20From%20Diversity%20to%20Inclusion.pdf [last accessed 21 April 2021]

Further reading:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Why Wiley? Why research publishing?