To make academia a profession of equal opportunities, we must use metrics and data-driven decisions to resolve deep-seated inequities, including lower accreditation of women as authors compared with men (M. B. Ross et al. Nature 608, 135–145; 2022). This gender injustice is compounded for researchers in under-represented ethnic and racial groups.
The intersection of race and gender in authorship attribution has at least two components. One is that researchers from minority groups might be less likely to be invited to participate in writing a paper or to be offered authorship. Another is that they often have fewer opportunities to write papers — for example, their time away from research is frequently taken up with mentorship and service activities related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Team leaders and mentors must aim to engage and sponsor more women and people from minority groups. Proactive transparency and active sponsorship in attributing authorship is crucial. Furthermore, gender representation and other aspects of diversity must be promoted in academic leadership, as well as on editorial boards, grant-review panels and other decision-making bodies.
Contributor Information
Irini Sereti, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA..
Tomi Akinyemiju, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA..
Sara Gianella, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, USA..