Promoting inclusivity in health professions education publishing

Abstract

A taskforce established by Medical Education asks readers to engage in discussion about how the journal and field can do better to ensure that health professional education publishing is inclusive of diverse knowledge and perspectives.

Joining the meta-research movement: A bibliometric case study of the journal <em>Perspectives on Medical Education</em>

“…While PME received and published manuscripts from around the world, the majority of those manuscripts, as well as the majority of the researchers who peer reviewed those manuscripts, were affiliated with Western countries. While this finding aligns with the broader literature [ 26 , 28 ] and statistics from other journals in the field (e.g., Medical Education [ 31 ]), we feel there is an urgent need to grow our global representation and, as Kusurkar recently wrote in a PME editorial, work toward fixing the “leaky pipeline” of medical education researchers [ 32 ]. To this end, we are strategizing with our editorial team and editors of other HPE journals on how to more fully involve authors, readers, reviewers, and editors from around the globe.…”

A plethora of good news within a pledge to keep moving forward

“…You can also strive to help by taking the time to respond to our DEI working group's request for guidance if you have not done so already 11 . That group has been led splendidly by Rola Ajjawi who has recently agreed to take on a new position of DEI Lead for the journal.…”

Using theory in health professions education research: a guide for early career researchers

“…To reduce the reliance on others' interpretations of theory, it will also be important to engage with original sources of a chosen theory (or theories). To enhance inclusivity and diversity of theory [5,6], we advise ECRs to engage with theories from other disciplines (e.g., social psychology, sociology, education, philosophy, organisational, and economics etc. ), cultures and geographical settings, and with theories that are less well-known in the HPE field.…”

“…It is important to question theory because each theory: privileges a certain way of framing a research problem; is underpinned by certain assumptions; has different strengths and limitations [8]; and offers a different level of explanation and perspective [2][3][4]8]. Adopting a critical stance in relation to theory is also vital to decolonise and diversify research practices [5,6]. In order to effectively critique theory, we encourage ECRs to keep current with contemporary debates and discussions about theory and its use.…”

“…However, those who are new to HPE research and early career researchers (ECRs) can find it challenging to use theory. In this paper, we outline key considerations (see Table 1) for using theory in HPE research, both in relation to theory as a subject or content area and the process of using it, including critically questioning which theories are priviledged in the HPE literature [5,6]. By providing this guidance, we hope to support new and early-career HPE researchers around the globe to enhance their capacity to appraise and improve theoretical quality, both in relation to their own work and the HPE literature.…”