TY - JOUR
T1 - Racial, gender, sexual, and disability identities of the journal of the medical library association’s editorial board, reviewers, and authors
AU - Akers, Katherine G.
AU - Pionke, J. J.
AU - Aaronson, Ellen M.
AU - Chambers, Thane
AU - Cyrus, John W.
AU - Eldermire, Erin R.B.
AU - Norton, Melanie J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, Medical Library Association. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111126890&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85111126890&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5195/jmla.2021.1216
DO - 10.5195/jmla.2021.1216
M3 - Editorial
C2 - 34285661
AN - SCOPUS:85111126890
SN - 1536-5050
VL - 109
SP - 167
EP - 173
JO - Journal of the Medical Library Association
JF - Journal of the Medical Library Association
IS - 2
ER -