This session examines the potential benefits and dangers of language use policies.
This discussion is one of eleven sessions hosted by COPE during Publication Integrity Week 2023.
"It is extremely powerful has really made me think. Highly recommended for anyone interested in DEI in publishing and inclusive language." Kim Eggleton, IOP Publishing.
Chaired by COPE Trustee Caroline Porter, it brings together Sara Dibari (Editorial Manager of JAMA Psychiatry and chair of the research and writing committees of the C4DISC working group that created the Guidelines on Inclusive Language and Images in Scholarly Communication), Rohan Pethiyagoda (research associate of the Australian Museum, Sydney, and an editor of the journal Zootaxa), and Lisa Richardson (Associate Dean, Inclusion and Diversity at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine).
Inclusive language survey
Caroline introduces the session with a review of a recent COPE member survey on experiences of language use policies. Respondents were familiar with a range of guides to inclusive language practices from organisation-specific policies, to guidance produced by the APA, the AMA, and C4DISC. More than half had encountered issues with problematic or offensive language in submitted material, and the most common response was to request or encourage authors to make changes. Individuals also noted a number of other issues, including language barriers, rapidly changing recommendations for best practices, working with many different people in the editorial process, and handling regional and cultural differences.
C4DISC
Sara Dibari acknowledges many of these difficulties in describing how the C4DISC working group created their Guidelines. The group was motivated by what they saw as a moral imperative to increase inclusivity and cultural sensitivity in both language and image use. Their aim was to create an industry standard to promote inclusive communication habits, but also to provide a ‘living archive’ which could change as language use and sensitivities evolve. She describes the efforts of the writing group to address their own biases and to uncover gaps in their knowledge, and gives an example of a case at her own journal where a correction was issued to address language use. Her final message, inspired by Maya Angelou, is a call to do the best we can until we know better. Then, to do better.
Power imbalance of policing language
Rohan Pethyigoda shares his thoughts on language use in a powerful talk which was pre-recorded for technical reasons. He addresses the power imbalance in policing language which can invalidate the perspectives and experiences of some countries. We need to ask who is the arbiter of language use, and where are the moral boundaries. Many of the concerns over specific words pay little heed to the way that language is used in the countries affected, and are initiated by white-majority groups claiming to speak for groups to which they do not belong. Not only can these debates hurt and patronise the groups they most affect, they also often take place in journals which are behind paywalls and so are not widely accessible. It is through usage that words evoke reality, not via rules imposed by others. The best way forward would be to collaborate via our national academies to assess attitudes to language in an inclusive way.
Promoting cultural change
Lisa Richardson begins her talk by acknowledging the indigenous groups on whose land she lives, and describes how meaningful this has become in Canada as a way to promote cultural change and education. She chose to deliver her talk without slides in order to validate the long tradition of oracy from which she comes. Lisa calls for a structured approach to support diversity in research and scholarly publication, for example, in improving access to medical schools and editorial boards, and promoting awareness of the ways that deficit-based research on minorities can be dehumanising and demoralising. We should aim for a common endeavour to provide a safe environment for all and continually address how we are all creating inclusive perspectives in our work.
Questions from the audience
A lively discussion follows with many questions from audience members. These include a recommendation for authors to acknowledge the limits of their research (for example in patient groups which are restricted in type); how to handle the ‘diversity tax’ which can lead to representative of minority groups being burdened with the tasks of speaking for all; promoting transparency over the characteristics of editorial board members; encouraging reviewers to consider diversity and inclusivity in their assessment of submitted papers; and handling situations where authors are resistant to changing language.
Further reading
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Promoting integrity in scientific journal publications CSE recommendations
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The diversity and innovation paradox PNAS research article
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Finding pathways to equity recommendation from Society Publishers' Coalition
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Inclusive language and images in scholarly publishing C4DISC guidelines
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Inclusive language American Psychological Association guidelines
- Advancing health equity American Medical Association guide to language, narrative and concepts
Related COPE resources
- Diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility COPE Commentary, September 2023
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