Gender Bias in academic publishing

48 min

Joanne Kamens

Nicole Neuman

Kate Hibbert

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About this video

We are all guilty of unconscious bias, a process that takes place when we make quick judgments or assessments. Unfortunately, as it happens without us realising, it’s not an easy habit to break. Research has shown that it can affect the decisions we make about who to hire for a job, or even how a peer reviewer rates a manuscript. While biases can be sparked by a host of factors, this webinar recording focuses on gender.

You will hear from Dr. Joanne Kamens, Executive Director of Addgene (a non-profit plasmid repository); Dr. Nicole Neuman, Editor of Trends in Biochemical Sciences; and Dr. Kate Hibbert, a Publisher at Elsevier. They discuss exactly what unconscious bias is, how to check for it and how to avoid it. They share some fascinating data highlighting the problem in academic publishing and explore the recent efforts by publishers to reduce bias and make the publishing process more equitable for all.

You’ll come away understanding how easy it is to fall into the unconscious bias trap and learn some practical steps to help you address the problem.

About the presenters

Joanne Kamens

Executive Director, Addgene

Dr. Kamens is the Executive Director of Addgene, a mission driven, nonprofit dedicated to helping scientists around the world share useful research reagents and data. According to The Boston Globe, Addgene was the #1 2016 Boston Globe Top Place to Work. She received her PhD in Genetics from Harvard Medical School then spent 20 years as a researcher and director in pharma and biotech. Dr. Kamens founded the Boston chapter of the Association for Women in Science. She is active in creating and supporting a number of mentoring programs for science trainees. In 2010, Dr. Kamens received the Catalyst Award from the Science Club for Girls for longstanding dedication to empowering women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics and in 2013, she was named one of PharmaVoice's 100 Most Inspiring Commanders & Chiefs. You can find her @jkamens on Twitter and on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannekamens.

Nicole Neuman

Editor, Cell Press

Nicole Neuman received her PhD in biochemistry from Tufts University followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital studying cell signaling. After completing her postdoctoral training she joined Cell Press in 2012 as the editor of Trends in Biochemical Sciences, a reviews-only journal. Nicole has enjoyed engaging Cell Press in community conversations around gender in the STEM fields, first by organizing a symposium around gender and science and now by co-leading the “The Female Scientist,” a column in the Cell Press blog Crosstalk.

Kate Hibbert

Publisher, Elsevier

Following an undergraduate degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Oxford, Kate gained a PhD in isotope geochemistry from the University of Bristol. Kate’s PhD research looked at the geochemical variations of molybdenum isotopes in the mantle of the Earth. After her PhD, Kate joined Elsevier in 2015 where she is the Publisher responsible for Elsevier’s geochemistry and planetary science journals. As well as working with the editors of her journals to give the best publishing experience, while working at Elsevier Kate has also participated in several projects to promote women in STEM.