Develop more equitable & accessible ways to publish research
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Developing more equitable & accessible ways to publish research is at the very heart of what we at Emerald stand for, a commitment to fair and inclusive publishing practices.
As a global publisher, it’s vital that we support the researchers, topics and groups that have been underrepresented and silenced for far too long.
So, we’re facing the challenges head on by raising awareness, campaigning for change, and creating new opportunities that allow us to break down barriers and advance diversity and inclusion within the sector.
Thought-provoking content
Podcast: Striving for equality, diversity and inclusion in scholarly research and communications
Academic publishing has a huge part to play in creating an equitable knowledge system. While scholarly publishing has changed in recent years with more technological advancements and the move towards open access, there are still noticeable barriers to producing, communicating, and using research and evidence, with unequal contributions and participation across the globe.
In this episode, podcast host Rebecca Torr speaks to her three guests about the advancements and opportunities for developing more equitable and accessible ways to publish. They discuss topics covering ways to improve equity in research funding, how to promote underrepresented voices, different routes to getting published and actions that ensure equity in reviewing.
Kim Eggleton is Head of Peer Review & Research Integrity at IOP Publishing. With nearly 20 years’ experience in the scholarly publishing industry across both HSS and STEM, Kim's responsibilities at IOP Publishing extend right from manuscript submission to acceptance, with author service at the centre of everything. Kim is also a Council member for the Committee for Publication Ethics, and an active member of the Joint Commitment for Action on Inclusion and Diversity in Scholarly Publishing.
Jakob Feldtfos Christensen is the Director of DIVERSIunity, a consultancy based in Denmark. DIVERSIunity runs training and workshops and consults on making diversity and internationalisation work in research and research management. Jakob is also the co-host of ‘The Diversity in Research Podcast’.
Sapna Marwaha is an experienced lawyer, board member and independent consultant working with a range of public, private and third sector organisations. She is Deputy Chair and Chair of the EDI Advisory Group of the Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA) and leads on Legal and Governance as a Development Board Member of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Science and Health (EDIS), a coalition that drives more equal health outcomes in society through a more equitable sector.
2022 global inclusivity report
In June 2022, we launched our second global inclusivity report looking into perceptions and experiences of inclusion in academia.
We had over 1,110 responses from academics across the world, providing valuable insights on several important topics that aim to identify ways in which institutions and researchers are working towards a more inclusive working environment.
Whilst almost a third of academics have experienced discrimination and other anti-inclusive behaviours in the workplace, there are positive signs that institutions are acting, with 60% of academics saying their institution has taken initiatives to promote a more inclusive work environment.
Equal representation on editorial boards
Our global inclusivity report found that 70% of researchers said publishers should be doing more to improve the diversity and representation on Editorial Boards.
Our goal is for equal representation across our publishing practices, including editorial boards, reviewer pools and lead authors on our books front list, starting with 40 titles that we know are facing representative challenges, by 2025. Our ambition it is to extend this to everything by 2030.
Watch this film to find out more about our commitment to equal representation.
Open access
Open research has the potential to accelerate real world change. The pandemic reinforced this and allowed us to see first-hand that the sharing of research and supporting data can help solve global challenges and create real impact.
We’re committed to supporting the community in the evolution to an ecosystem that is not only open but also equitable to advance in areas that are in most need.
Open access week gives us an opportunity to bring together members of our communities to discuss, educate and take action to support open publishing around the globe. Throughout October 2022 we aim to dispel some myths about open access, such as open access articles being lower quality or sharing your data means losing control of your intellectual property.
Our power of diverse voices campaign
As a global publisher, we represent researchers from diverse communities across more than 100 countries.
We’ve been doing this for many years but believe – now more than ever – that research is most impactful when a diverse range of voices are included. To us, that means – regardless of race, gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, income or anything else – individuals deserve and should demand to be equally represented and heard.
This year we have focused on Indigenous peoples, understanding the particular challenges experienced, and working with our Indigenous peoples advisory board to change practices that disadvantage Indigenous research and researchers.
About 'Are you in?'
Our sector makes an incredible difference to the world, but it’s shrouded in unhelpful traditions, outdated measures of impact and barriers to participation.
We’re seeing green shoots of progress, but significant change will require the entire sector to commit and act. This is why we’ve relaunched our Real impact manifesto, which asks you to join us in working towards a fairer, more equitable environment where research can have a real-world impact and those within it can reach their full potential. We outline six commitments where we can work together for change – will you join us?
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Pledge your support
Together we can help inform, develop, and inspire action towards advancing the impact agenda.
Join the shared movement by adding your name or institution to the support pledge here. We'll then add your name to the list of signatories, as well as keep you informed on how the campaign is progressing and how you can get involved in activities to move forward the Real Impact Manifesto goals.
This sector wide campaign is facilitated and supported by Emerald Publishing.