Addressing Systemic Racism in Scholarly Publishing

At this moment in history, when the hundreds-year long pandemic of racism seems to be coming to a point of reckoning, significant numbers of individuals and groups are turning away from denial and examining ways in which systemic racism is sustained, even promoted. The industry of scholarly publishing, in which Advances in Nursing Science (ANS) is included, is no exception. While ANS has a long tradition of being at the forefront in publishing articles addressing racism and all other forms of "isms" embedded in the fabric of society, we have yet to make a public declaration of editorial policy related to overcoming systemic racism. Bringing this matter to the forefront is long overdue but made possible in this moment by activism and resources that have emerged in the larger community of scholarly publishing.1,2

At the annual meeting of the advisory board this year, we will examine our policy and develop formal antiracism policy and action. The following will serve as a basis for this discussion, including:

* Develop guidelines for authors related to justification for inclusion of race as a concept/variable in their work.

* Require that when race is included, that racism is named and integrated with other intersecting forms of oppression such as gender, sexuality, income, and religion.

* Ensure that any inclusion of race does not explicitly or implicitly suggest a genetic interpretation, particularly when there is a focus on health disparities or inequities.

* Strengthen the presence of people who identify as BILNOC (Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other nurses of color) as members of the Advisory Board, the Review Panel, and contributing authors.

* Consider actions to ensure that works published by those who identify as BILNOC are appropriately recognized and cited in ANS content.

* Include specific criteria for review that ensures that the reviewer has addressed the possibility of embedded systemic racism in content submitted to the journal and to give constructive guidance to authors for antiracist revision of their work.

* Encourage works that take an explicit antiracist stance, providing scholarly resources to support antiracism actions in practice, education, administration, and policy making.

Racism is a public health issue and has been a public health crisis for decades. It is time to act on every level possible. We welcome all ANS readers to contribute to our ongoing work and to share our dedication to addressing racism in our profession.

-Peggy L. Chinn, PhD, RN, FAAN

Editor

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