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

Authors

  • Katherine G. Akers Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the Medical Library Association https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4578-6575
  • JJ Pionke University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
  • Ellen M. Aaronson Mayo Clinic Libraries, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
  • Thane Chambers Cameron Library, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
  • John W. Cyrus Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
  • Erin R.B. Eldermire Flower-Sprecher Veterinary Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
  • Melanie J. Norton Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, New Haven, CT

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2021.1216

Keywords:

Peer Review, Scholarly Publishing, Journal of the Medical Library Association

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.

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Published

2021-07-20

Issue

Section

Editorial