Diversity Commitment

Nature Portfolio is committed to promoting practices that support diversity and inclusion in science communication and publishing. We recognise that there are many dimensions to diversity, including gender, race/ethnicity, geography and career stage. 

As a guiding principle, we aim to foster equity, diversity and inclusion within our internal practices and in published content, embody these values in all our editorial activities and to support and promote these values in the research community.  

Our current priorities in action on gender and diversity include:

1. Commissioned authors: Nature magazine and Nature Portfolio journals commit to increasing gender diversity among commissioned authors.

2. Peer reviewers: Nature Portfolio journals commit to increasing gender diversity in peer reviewer population. Journals that have Editorial Boards commit to working with their Editorial Board Members  to raise awareness of our commitment to promoting gender diversity among peer reviewers

3. Editorial Board Members: Nature Portfolio journals that have Editorial Boards commit to increasing gender diversity among Editorial Board Members

4. Reporting: Nature commits to annual reporting on gender diversity among commissioned authors and peer reviewers.

5. Nature Conferences: commits to a “no men-only” policy for conference organizing committees, for speaker invitations, short poster presentations and for panels. Nature Conferences has developed a Code of Conduct and Diversity Policy which will form part of our contract with partners and others to help all meet the goals of the “no men-only” policy. Participants of a Nature Conference will be required to agree to abide by the Code of Conduct at registration. Nature Conferences commit to annual monitoring and reporting on progress against this commitments

6. Language and imagery: Nature magazine has developed and uses a language sensitivity guide  - a resource of appropriate language to use when writing about topics such as ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, disability and health. Nature has developed guidelines for use in illustration and photography to ensure appropriately diverse representation in our pages.

Read more about how Nature Portfolio pledges to supporting our Gender Diversity Commitment in this Nature Editorial and on the Springboard blog.

We are currently developing our commitment on other aspects of diversity, prioritising ethnic and racial diversity. 

Related content from Nature Portfolio journals:

Gender Diversity 

• Women from some under-represented minorities are given too few talks at world’s largest Earth-science conference, Heather L. Ford et al., Nature, 4 December 2019
• Sex and gender analysis improves science and engineering, Cara Tannenbaum et al., Nature, 6 November 2019
• The need for cell lines from diverse ethnic backgrounds for prostate cancer research, Simone Badal et al., Nature Reviews Urology, 13 September 2019 
• A Nature analysis finds that several fields of science are moving away from male-dominated conferences and panels — but it’s easy to slip back into old habits. How to banish manels and manferences from scientific meetings, Holly Else, Nature, 10 September 2019
• Committees with implicit biases promote fewer women when they do not believe gender bias exists, Isabelle Régner, Nature Human Behaviour, 26 August 2019
• The immunology research community lacks diversity, particularly at the top. Why we need to increase diversity in the immunology research community, Akiko Iwasaki, Nature Immunology, 19 August 2019
• Women in cancer research, Christina A. Mitchell, Nature Reviews Cancer, 15 August 2019
• Thinking about the needs of all participants is key to a successful event. How to organize a conference that’s open to everyone, Nic Fleming, Nature, 24 July 2019
• The contributions of women to the development of the periodic table have long been overlooked. Elementary women, Claire A. Murray, Nature Chemistry, 17 June 2019
• Prostate cancer in sexual minorities and the influence of HIV status, Channa Amarasekera et al., Nature Reviews Urology, 17 May 2019 
• A giant leap for womankind, Hannah Valantine, Nature Medicine, 29 April 2019
• A new analysis of biomedical awards over five decades shows men receive more cash and more respect for their research than women do, report Brian Uzzi and colleagues. Women who win prizes get less money and prestige, Yifang Ma et al. Nature, 16 January 2019
• Diversifying clinical trials, Nature Medicine, 6 December 2018
• Making gender diversity work for scientific discovery and innovation, Mathias Wullum Nielsen et al., Nature Human Behaviour, 24 September 2018
• The need to include gender in energy policy, practice and research is largely accepted. However, when research that merely disaggregates by sex is used to inform energy efficiency initiatives, it often reproduces stereotypical understandings of sex differences, which can harm rather than promote gender equality. Sex disaggregation alone will not energize equality, Nature Energy, 17 September 2018
• As we reassess the contributions of the ‘great people’ of science, we should also celebrate the impact of mentors. Rethinking our physics heroes, Nature Physics, 2 August 2018
• Women continue to form too small a proportion of this journal’s authors and referees. Nature’s under-representation of women, Nature, 20 June 2018
• Theodore Hodapp and Erika Brown explain how the American Physical Society is helping to recruit and retain PhD students from under-represented minorities. Making physics more inclusive, Theodore Hodapp and Erika Brown, Nature, 30 May 2018
• (More) women in science, Fiona M. Watt, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 29 March 2018
• To appreciate women’s contribution to science, Michelle Francl suggests it’s time to stop talking about the most famous one. Atomic women, Nature Chemistry, 22 March 2018
• Jory Lerback and Brooks Hanson present an analysis that reveals evidence of gender bias in peer review for scholarly publications. Journals invite too few women to referee, Jory Lerback and Brooks Hanson, Nature, 25 January 2017
• An analysis by Alice B. Popejoy and Stephanie M. Fullerton indicates that some populations are still being left behind on the road to precision medicine. Genomics is failing on diversity, Alice B. Popejoy and Stephanie M. Fullerton, Nature, 12 October 2016

Race/Ethnicity Diversity

• Nature commits to working to end anti-Black practices in research Systemic racism: science must listen, learn and change Nature, 9 June 2020; Note from the editors: Nature joins #ShutDownSTEM 10 June 2020
• Nature Medicine’s editorial recognises the existence of systemic racism in medicine and calls for putting an end to it Ending systemic racism in medicine Nature Medicine, 10 July 2020
• Dutt, K. argues that progress towards diversification of the geosciences can only come with a concerted shift in mindsets and a deeper understanding of the complexities of race. Race and racism in the geosciences Nature Geoscience, 16 December 2019
• No progress on diversity in 40 years N Geo https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-019-0519-z
• Nature Ecology and Evolution editorial Black Lives Matter in ecology and evolution 23 June 2020
• Through a nationwide survey, Jimenez et al show that faculty with underrepresented identities disproportionally engage in diversity and inclusion activities Underrepresented faculty play a disproportionate role in advancing diversity and inclusion Nature Ecology and Evolution 3 June 2019
• Blackman et al. propose a new scientific meeting framework - The ABCD conference format (All continents, Balanced gender, low Carbon transport, Diverse backgrounds) - for enhanced diversity of representation and views NEE comment  A meeting framework for inclusive and sustainable science Nature Ecology and Evolution 24 April 2020
• Frustrated and exhausted by systemic racism in the science community, Black researchers outline steps for action in this Careers Feature What Black scientists want from their colleagues and institutions Nature, 22 June 2020
• The persistent under-representation of Black physicists is a systemic problem that requires will, money and long-term commitment to be solved. Black physicists matter Nature Physics, 4 August 2020
• Efforts to improve representation of Black communities in Nature Microbiology are laid out in an editorial Nature Microbiology after #ShutDownSTEM 25 June 2020
• Nine researchers, editors and science communicators share their views about the barriers that Asian scientists encounter in publishing their work and becoming more visible on the international level. Visibility challenges for Asian scientists Nature reviews Physics 31 March 2020
• A comment by Manuel and Karloff argues that driving diversity and inclusion in science must focus on allocating opportunities for success on the basis of potential, not privilege Recruit and retain a diverse workforce, Nature Reviews Chemistry, 5 August 2020

Collections

• Nature Astronomy Focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion best practices and solutions
• Nature Research Awards for Inspiring Science and Innovating Science
• Nature Collection on Achieving Diversity in Science
• Nature Cell Biology Focus on Women in Science
• Nature Astronomy Focus on Astronomy for development
• Nature Astronomy Focus on Gender equity in astronomy
• Springer Nature BLM collection https://www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/campaigns/black-lives-matter