CBQ CURRENTS Topical Essays About Contemporary Issues

Abstract

We hear a lot about “diversity” and “inclusion” in the academy, in some business circles, and in various social, civic and political contexts. What about in publishing? How, specifically, does the academic publishing world fare in this arena? Certainly, publishing in general is not immune from these concerns. For instance, in 2015, Lee and Low book publishers initiated a survey to gather data about diversity among publishing staff and reviewers. The goal was to create a “diversity baseline survey” that would garner participation from “major review journals and publishers” to obtain an aggregate view documenting the presence—or absence—of diversity in the trade industry. Results released the following year, in 2016, included responses from 34 publishers and 8 review journals, and they were revealing. In their snapshot of the “industry overall,” the Lee and Low survey results showed representation in four categories. Here are some highlights from their results: