I'd be really curious to know what journal/publisher requested that. I find it highly suspect and unnecessary!

Journal of Applied Psychology

Hello Dr Michael Puntiroli

I find this equally surprising and equally troubling. My advice is to seek an alternative journal if possible.

In addition to the comment by Louis Moustakas that it is "highly suspect and unnecessary" - and I agree 100% - I also would find that highly offensive.

I have never seen that requirement in a journal, to be honest.

Update May 5th: It is true and seems to be part of a campaign (see my reply of May 5th).

Dear Michael Puntiroli I cannot believe that you mean the following journal https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/apl can you provide a link (and perhaps a screenshot) where they ask such inappropriate information?

Even stronger I cannot imagine that such a well-respected journal (and reputed organisation behind it, the American Phychological Association) would ask such indiscrete questions.

Kind regards.

PS. No matter how l looked at their website I was unable to find the "data & privacy policy" link...

in agreement with all replies, make sure the site you r on is legitimate. i have received email and been on 2 sites that were NOT who they said they were. hackers have found ways to use legitimate trusted sites to get personal information. one of these continues to send email from a dear and trusted friend-- who died 2 yrs ago!!!

Just part of the Diversity Inclusion Equity (DIE) nonsense that the US and Canadian Governments and others in the EU promote. They coerce in many ways - corporate business, banks, and universities to follow in advancing their agenda. Even some journals are following suit - where merit is no longer a factor in academia. Medical school admissions are now being dominated by the woke agenda and DIE. They now restrict the number of Asian and East Indian students in some Ivy League schools, as these students are likely to excel and outshine others, if merit is the factor used to assess performance. Resist if you can, but depending on where you are it may have a backlash against you personally. It is reverse discrimination to target “privileged” whites as they call the majority of the US population. As a person of colour it offends me and violates every ethical or moral standard I hold dear. The past is the past and we can learn from it but two wrongs never make a right.

gender is always asked -- on anything- except it used or be simply male/female. now they ask how you identify yourself as many do not identify as either male or female. skin color? i don't believe anyone asks that as it means/tells nothing

Diversity Inclusion Equity (DIE) iis not nonsense-- live with it!!

YOU are entitled to your opinion. Fortunately, I do not have to live with it - you may have to - my universe still operates and believes in fairness, credentials, skill-set, and competence, not any form of reverse discrimination. Equal opportunity, like justice, should be colour and gender blind. DIE is already dying its natural death- failing banks and companies who pursue this political means of subjugation.

as r u-- unfortunately u do have to live with it because it is going on and is going to continue and not stop-- filled out a from lately? also, it appears u have a misunderstanding of what die is https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/program-areas/employers/diversity-inclusion

This is pointless - you believe what you wish. As a person of colour from a minority racial group in N. America, I can see that 80% of the population do not believe DIE to be fair or necessary. Best of luck to you!

source?

Dear all,

I return to this question I asked a few weeks ago, and see it has sparked some debate. That's good.

I see some people being sceptical that an academic journal would ask for info such as gender, race and skin colour. It's good to be sceptical. On that note I can tell you that I submitted an article 2 days ago to another journal, also highly considered in its domain, and I got the same questions about my gender, skin colour and ethnic background.

And this time I took screenshots for my most sceptical of friends.

Dear Michael Puntiroli With your question in mind I stumbled on a great find by https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ljubomir-Jacic : https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01457-4 It appears that there is campaign going on that tries to investigate inclusion and diversity in the scientific publishing world:

https://www.rsc.org/policy-evidence-campaigns/inclusion-diversity/joint-commitment-for-action-inclusion-and-diversity-in-publishing/

As part of this campaign various ‘standard’ questions have been proposed:

https://www.rsc.org/policy-evidence-campaigns/inclusion-diversity/joint-commitment-for-action-inclusion-and-diversity-in-publishing/diversity-data-collection-in-scholarly-publishing/

So, it seems to be part of an attempt to address this matter and therefor more or less okay. Your question suggested that they wanted to know your sexual orientation (like heterosexual or LGBTQ+) this would be ridiculous and absolutely irrelevant in this matter.

The gender question however (unfortunately) remains relevant since it is still a matter of debate whether there is (still) a gender bias in academic science:

https://retractionwatch.com/2023/04/29/weekend-reads-no-gender-bias-in-academic-science-an-editor-is-fired-foreign-research-fraud-in-australia/

Personally, I very much doubt whether this ‘campaign’ will ‘help’ and I tend (no matter the good intentions) to end up with a feeling that these questions are somewhat impertinent.

Best regards.

I am a person of colour from an ethnic minority. I spent 12 years in Medicine, Residency and Fellowship. My colleagues at each level were as diverse as any - based on geography. This may not be “an investigation” but a veiled attempt to engineer a system based on these vague descriptions, rather than a merit based system with allowances for other inclusion criteria. I just ensured I was at the top of my class, whether in the Caribbean, North America or the UK, where I worked as student, MD, resident, consultant, post doctoral fellow. They have already changed entrance and competency validation in many medical schools Perhaps the journals are considering an “reengineer” of acceptance criteria for manuscripts other than merits. If so, this would be a sad day for scientific rigour and academic excellence.

all i can say is "...as diverse as any.." means not diverse at all.

The population in the country I grew up in and attended medical school is 85% black and the 15% are Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, South American, and White. Geography obviously must be a factor - perhaps diversity zealots eliminate simple math. My medical school class reflected that ethnic mix and was as diverse as it could possibly be. I will take a merit based system any day over reverse discrimination and any form of bigotry. I have specialist and sub-specialist qualifications from the UK, Canada, and the USA and never once felt the need for imposed diversity - still not sure what it means. Enough said.

well in the usa, black Hispanic and other dark potential student has been discriminated to include exclusion from medical school law school university and everywhere else in the country--"merit-based" sis an illusion and till does not exist in this country dominated by inequality. not to mention all the other non-merit ways individuals get into higher ed: money, sports, family alumni, someone you know; so please speak for yourself and your country.and do not assume the world is the same.last i really doubt the in your country it is truly 100% merit based because such politics are universal

I am sorry that has been your experience. Not mine, and I have been educated and worked in the Caribbean, the USA, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and mostly in Canada.

do a little reading/research it it not "my" experience it is the the country i repeat "well in the usa. how lucky for u

Coming out at work: transgender scientists share their stories

To mark Pride month, transgender scientists recount transition experiences as political landscapes turn increasingly hostile in many places...

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01908-y

What an insightful question! It's understandable to have concerns, but it's important to note that both the LGBTQ and Muslim communities have faced discrimination and prejudice across the continent. Muslim are even worse though, From Palestinian, Rohingya, Muslims of India, to Uyghurs, in Europe, in USA, in Canada, and other developed nations, Muslims are subject to Airport interrogation, severe discrimination, and public assault due to physical grooming and belief framework. Worse labelled as terrorists while zionists are killing Palestinian every single day since the Balfour Declaration of 1947. Islamophobia is a supernatural phenomenon that no single leader in the world is able to stop this Psychologically disorder. However, when it comes to the world of academia, unique ideas and perspectives are highly valued. It's all about finding the right publication and publisher who appreciate originality in research and writing. Best of luck with your submission, Doctor!

The LGBTQI+ community continues to experience discrimination. Anti-LGBTQI+ laws not only violate human rights but also fuel corruption. The effects of these laws are intersectional, with trans folks enduring higher rates of violence on a global scale...

https://reports.hrc.org/dismantling-a-culture-of-violence

Corruption within the health sector also poses significant challenges for the community, since LGBTQI+ persons can face barriers in accessing vital healthcare. These barriers are exacerbated by corruption when healthcare providers exploit their position, demanding bribes in exchange for necessary services. With the newly passed law in Uganda, experts predict that those seeking medical support for sexually transmitted infections will be driven underground, creating a surge in HIV cases...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/uganda-anti-gay-laws-hiv-infections-aids-deaths-lgbt/

I would also be concerned about answering those questions and always opt to reply "prefer not to answer". My first reason being that: Why do people want to put me in a little box titled X? This is a problem that has its genesis on old ways to classify people through the "scientific" lens. While initial statistical methods to keep track of people had its reasons, I think that today we have better methods of doing statistics and scientific research about us without infringing on our privacy.

The second reason for not giving out this information is that policies change. While the privacy policies do state X, they are subject to change (Read most electronic agreements and there is this escape clause that state that the "policy is subject to change").

The third reason is security measures used to store this information. Security measures in most corporate environments is sad (I had to deal with them for over a decade and it leaves something to be desired). There is also the data exchange with third parties and access to consultants that pose other data leakage risks.

As long as we keep thinking on ways to catalogue people instead of thinking that we are all human beings, there will always be someone that will discriminate against his fellow.

The wrong word for the job? The ethics of collecting data on ‘race’ in academic publishing

"Socially responsible publishers, such as the BMJ Publishing Group, have demonstrated a commitment to health equity and working towards rectifying the structural racism that exists both in healthcare and in medical publishing. The commitment of academic publishers to collecting information relevant to promoting equity and diversity is important and commendable where it leads to that result. However, collecting sensitive demographic data is not a morally neutral activity. Rather, it carries with it both known and potential risks. Among these are issues around privacy or data misuse, as well as more basic concerns about how, when or why people should be categorised in certain ways and/or prompted to conceive of themselves or their identities in certain terms. If such data are to be collected, therefore, their effectiveness in achieving the stated ends must have a sufficiently compelling evidence base so as to justify the various risks involved. And where possible, these risks must also be identified and minimised..."

https://jme.bmj.com/content/50/3/149