Table 1.
Common themes and sub-themes identified among included articles and the number of recommendations belonging to each theme and sub-theme
| Theme | N | Sub-themes | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awareness of impact on particular communities | 75 | Investigators should respect study populations. | 32 |
| Awareness of past and present impacts of racism in science and medicine should be encouraged/increased. | 28 | ||
| Investigators should consult specific communities during the research process. | 15 | ||
| The need for further research and guidelines | 57 | Guidelines should be developed and regulation tightened for future research involving race, ethnicity, or ancestry. | 22 |
| Further research into important considerations and current pitfalls of research involving race, ethnicity, and/or ancestry should be conducted. | 35 | ||
| The need for transparency | 47 | Investigators should be transparent about why they are using population categories. | 13 |
| Investigators should be transparent about how any population categories used are defined. | 22 | ||
| Investigators should make their data and collection methods publicly accessible. | 6 | ||
| Investigators should fully analyze and explain their findings | 6 | ||
| The use of appropriate statistical methodologies | 40 | Investigators should not make causal claims based on associations found in their data. | 10 |
| Investigators should adjust how they interpret and report genetic data. | 8 | ||
| Investigators should be aware of the contribution of factors other than race/ethnicity, such as socioeconomic circumstances or ancestry, to health outcomes. | 19 | ||
| Investigators should match collected variables to their study question(s). | 3 | ||
| The role of public reactions and public engagement | 30 | Investigators should be aware of the potential social impact of research involving population categories and sensitively release results of or information about this research to the public. | 23 |
| Investigators and institutions should consult and educate the public. | 4 | ||
| The scientific community should increase visibility of and education about important considerations for research involving race, ethnicity, and/or ancestry. | 3 | ||
| The need for an appreciation of nuance | 27 | Those in the scientific or medical field should use and consider race/ethnicity in a more nuanced fashion. | 12 |
| Those in the scientific or medical field should use and consider ancestry/population in a more nuanced fashion. | 5 | ||
| Those in the scientific or medical field should consider the relationship between race, ethnicity, ancestry, and population in a more nuanced fashion. | 10 | ||
| The need for diverse samples and practitioners | 19 | Investigators should recruit more diverse cohorts of study participants. | 8 |
| The makeup of and discussions within the medical community should be diversified. | 8 | ||
| Researchers should ensure that study populations are representative of the investigated population. | 3 | ||
| Appropriate definitions of population categories and contexts for use | 83 | Certain population categories should not be employed in research. | 12 |
| The scientific/medical community should continue collecting race and/or ethnicity data and investigating race- or ethnicity-based disparities. | 9 | ||
| Investigators should employ population categories under certain conditions. | 32 | ||
| Researchers should adopt or avoid certain definitions of population categories. | 7 | ||
| Investigators should collect ancestry data instead of race or ethnicity. | 8 | ||
| Race should not be used as a proxy for other variables in research. | 9 | ||
| Investigators and authors should be sensitive with terminology. | 6 |