Joint statement from our Editorial Board members

As members of the Editorial Boards of the Royal Society of Chemistry family of journals, we denounce discrimination in all forms. We value all members of our community and their diverse contributions to chemistry fields and beyond.

To combat discrimination is a moral responsibility shared by us all – publishers, universities, organisations, businesses and the entire chemistry community. Students, postdocs, faculty, staff, reviewers, authors and editors must identify and report discriminatory and bullying behaviour, and treat others with respect and dignity, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, disability, age or national origin. We support all those that are willing to stand up and take action where they see discriminatory behaviour.

It is scientifically established that diverse teams are more innovative and productive, and strengthen the chemistry community. We seek to cultivate a scientific community in which everyone feels welcome, respected and able to develop to their full potential.

As highlighted in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s recent report “Is publishing in the chemical sciences gender biased?”, discrimination is a known issue within the chemical science community. We recognise this takes many forms, of which gender is just one part. We are collectively committed to use our positions as Editorial Board members to make specific recommendations and take action to implement them through our journals.

Our actions include:

• We will work to ensure the reviewer and Editorial Board membership of our journals reflects the balance of our research community: our first target is 36% women by 2022.
• We are evaluating new peer-review models throughout the publishing process to address bias, including double-blind and transparent peer-review.
• We support publication of the breakdown of our authors, reviewers and editorial decision makers on an annual basis, and will use this to further improve our processes.
• We will use the RSC Inclusion & Diversity Framework for Action to support the above actions and drive change within chemistry publishing

We recognise that journal publication currently plays a key role in the careers of researchers at all levels. As Editors and Editorial Board members, we will continue to work closely with our journal communities to ensure that the publishing process is respectful and unbiased at all times. We want to make critical steps forward, and we need you to keep us on track, so we will seek and always welcome your suggestions and feedback.

Statement from ACS Editors-in-Chief

Our colleagues at the American Chemical Society have also made a commitment on Confronting Racism in Chemistry Journals.