Thread by @womenalsoknow

With COVID-19, we’ve been thinking a lot about journals and the publication process.
This thread is about what academic journals & journal editors can do to ensure that women’s research gets the citations it deserves.
Citations and citation counts often matter. #CiteHerMonday

And we know that citation patterns can be gendered.

For instance, see this piece by @michelledion @JaneLSumner & @sbmitche

cambridge.org/core/journals/…

#CiteHerMonday

One of the ways #WomenAlsoKnowStuff works to improve political science for all is to encourage scholars to cite (and read!) work by women experts.

Journal editors can make a big difference to citation practices. How? Here are some ideas!

#CiteHerMonday

Editors can include language in submission guidelines about attention to the gender composition of cited works. For instance, @ISQ_Jrnl instructions (academic.oup.com/isq/pages/Gene…)

#CiteHerMonday

Journal editors can ask authors to use @JaneLSumner’s Gender Balance Assessment Tool to check their reference lists, and perhaps report the gender composition of their references. This might prompt scholars to consider what work they aren’t citing. jlsumner.shinyapps.io/syllabustool/

For instance, International Journal of Press/Politics (ed by @prof_vaccari) recently updated their guidelines:

journals.sagepub.com/author-instruc…

#CiteHerMonday

CPS (Comparative Political Studies, eds @BenAnsell and @DavidSamuels) limits author self-references to four per author: us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/jour…

#CiteHerMonday

When inviting and instructing reviewers, editors can remind them to consider the gender composition of cited works.

@poli_com recently revised its guidelines to encourage just this!

tandfonline.com/action/authorS…

#CiteHerMonday

At the R&R or conditional acceptance stage, editors can specifically direct authors to pay attention to the composition of their reference lists.

This happens at CPS, @ISQ_Jrnal, @IntOrgJournal, Int’l Jrnl of Press/Politics, @RIPEJournal, among others.

Two examples, from ISQ and IO:
#CiteHerMonday

Editors also can encourage authors to use our database, featuring 1850 women political scientists (@poli_com just began doing this, for instance).

(And if you don’t have a profile, creating one is easy!). womenalsoknowstuff.com

#CiteHerMonday

We’ve heard from other editors that are analyzing submission and review patterns and evaluating how best to ensure that women’s research is discussed and cited.

For instance, @polanalysis is adding language related to gender balance in citations to their submission guidelines and R&R letters.

And the incoming editors at Public Opinion Quarterly (#POQ) are working on similar changes.
#CiteHerMonday

And that’s not all!
@IntOrgJournal editor @ErikVoeten has also done various analyses assessing gender effects in citation patterns, as well as the review process.

Over at @polanalysis, the editorial team studied whether the move from double to single-blind review had any gendered effects (it did not); they are doing a follow-up analysis soon.
#CiteHerMonday

As journals transition to new editorial teams & consider COVID-19 era submission patterns, there are many opportunities for improvement!

Our list is a small sampling of journals & editors. We know citations are just part of the story.

See this recent @AJPS_Editor post: ajps.org/category/ajps-…

Finally, we know it’s not only about including the voices of women, but also those of @POCAlsoKnow, @LGBTScholars, scholarship from the Global South and other traditionally underrepresented voices.

As @RIPEJournal page suggests, it’s important to “encourage submissions from voices and perspectives currently under-represented in the field…”
tandfonline.com/action/authorS…
#CiteHerMonday

We hope to encourage a broader reflection on gender & publication, and on concrete strategies to address inequities. If you’re a journal editor doing similar (or other) things, please let us know!

#CiteHerMonday