Developing an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) strategy for open scholarly publishing - Getting started guide

Society is evolving. Practices that may have been considered acceptable in the past are now being called into question. Social justice movements and the broader efforts to de-colonialize different aspects of our lives (e.g., educational systems, libraries) are also relevant to the scholarly publishing industry. A key part of increasing fair treatment and encouraging full participation within the scholarly publishing industry involves developing an equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) strategy.

What is equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB)?

Equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) is a conceptual framework to support the fair treatment and full participation of all people, especially in the workplace, including populations who have historically been under-represented or subject to discrimination because of their background, identity, disability, etc. 

• Equity: Removing systemic barriers and biases to enable everyone to have equal opportunities. 

• Diversity: Ensuring that people of different sexes, genders, abilities, career stages, races, ethnicities, geographic and institutional locations, and linguistic and cultural backgrounds are represented in the community. 

• Inclusion: Ensuring that all individuals are visible, heard, and considered. 

• Belonging: Treating everyone as a full member of the community and helping them to thrive.

In the context of scholarly publishing, several types of disparities have emerged, including those related to language, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, institutional affiliation, geographic location, and ability. These disparities can surface at different times and places as part of the scholarly publishing process, such as in:

• reporting on research participants in a study;

• review and acceptance of articles for publication;

• citation of scholarly works;

• choice of peer reviewers, editorial board members or editors;

• hiring of staff;

• communications of various types (e.g., journal website, peer review feedback, calls for papers);

• policies that have been developed without taking EDIB into account.

Addressing EDIB can be complicated. One challenging factor is known as intersectionality, which refers to the cumulative way that the effects of different forms of discrimination (e.g., linguistic, gender, geographical, racial and socioeconomic discrimination) combine, overlap, or intersect, particularly in the case of marginalized people. For instance, in some disciplines, both women scholars and non-white scholars may be under-represented, meaning that these two disparities intersect for women of colour, leaving them doubly marginalized. EDIB efforts are further complicated by the fact that different cultures have different views on EDIB-related efforts (e.g., rights of women or LGBTQ2S+ individuals), which may result in different priorities being established in different parts of the world. In addition, legal requirements, such as those regarding accessibility, may differ from one country to the next.

Why is EDIB important for open scholarly publishing?

As noted in the opening paragraph, scholarly publishers operate within society, and to be successful, they must take into consideration the values that are important to that society. Beyond this general consideration, there are also industry-specific reasons for developing an EDIB strategy for a journal or institutional publisher or service provider (IPSP). This is especially true in the context of open scholarly publishing, where the spirit of openness covers a set of principles and practices that aim to make scientific research from all fields accessible to everyone for the benefit of society as a whole. This includes ensuring that the processes for knowledge creation, evaluation, communication and access are equitable, diverse and inclusive in multiple ways. This means taking into consideration issues such as gender and linguistic diversity, as well as ensuring that journal platforms can work with accessibility software, and so on.

We all share the same planet, and increasingly, the most pressing problems that need to be solved (e.g., climate change, cancer, food insecurity) can affect everyone. To solve these and many other issues, we need input from all corners of the world. It is only through having a diversity of voices that we can ensure the inclusion of all relevant research topics, that we can understand these issues from multiple perspectives, and that we can make research results useful to the widest possible audience. If we unnecessarily restrict who can participate in research and dissemination – such as by having non-inclusive membership on editorial boards, lack of diversity in citations, or biased peer reviews – then critical research topics or useful methods may be overlooked, findings may not be generalizable to wider populations, and people with the potential to contribute to research may be excluded.

Who is this resource for?

EDIB cannot be the responsibility of any one individual; it requires a collective effort. This Getting Started Guide is aimed primarily at IPSPs, as well as journal editors, who subscribe to the Diamond Open Access model. Nonetheless, it is important to recognize that each publisher and journal is embedded in a particular context, and the cultural values, regulatory requirements, and economic resources may differ from one context to the next. Therefore, while this resource tries to raise EDIB-related issues that are worthy of consideration by all those involved in open scholarly publishing, each IPSP or journal editor may identify different priorities or face varying levels of feasibility with regard to implementation. 

What’s in this resource?

Even though it can be challenging to implement, EDIB is an important consideration for scholarly publishing, and the purpose of this Getting Started Guide is to provide some practical tips for IPSPs or journal editors who want to begin developing an EDIB strategy. Currently, there is a lack of tailor-made resources for the Diamond Open Access community, so some examples contained in this Getting Started Guide have been borrowed from publishers operating under different governance models. However, the specific practices that are described here are compatible with the Diamond model.

While it is not a comprehensive resource, this Getting Started Guide seeks to introduce key elements that can help an IPSP or journal editor who wants to implement EDIB but is struggling to know where to begin. It may help to think of a strategy as a sort of roadmap for EDIB efforts. If you don’t have a clear map, then it will be challenging to bring about meaningful change.

As mentioned, not every IPSP or journal editor is operating in the same circumstances. Therefore, each one may take a slightly different journey, beginning and ending in different places, and making different stops along the way. Nevertheless, in each case, it will help to have a map. This resource is intended to provide you with different building blocks that you can use to assemble a map that is meaningful for your own IPSP or journal. Remember that EDIB is challenging, and you will likely run into some roadblocks or need to make some detours. But don’t give up! Even if you are not able to implement all the suggestions presented in this resource – or at least not all at once – persevere and work on the areas that you can address. Each step taken towards creating a more equitable, diverse and inclusive scholarly publishing system is a step in the right direction.