Reviewer Courses
Academic publishing shows persistent bias in both topics and whose work gets published—a pattern known as epistemic exclusion, where contributions from minoritized scholars and non-dominant research are devalued. Since peer review plays a central role in this bias, reviewers have the power to challenge exclusion and promote equity by applying the practices outlined in this course.
Practical Recommendations for Reviewers to Promote Representative Developmental Science
Peer review is a powerful gatekeeping mechanism that can either reinforce or disrupt exclusionary practices in academic publishing. This course addresses how epistemic exclusion—where research by and about minoritized communities is devalued—persists in the field. Learn how to recognize bias, advocate for equity, and use your role as a reviewer to support inclusive, representative developmental science.
This course was created by a working group of the SRCD, led by
Melissa Lutchkus, Senior Publications Manager
Funding: This course was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Contributors
Shakiera T. Causey, PhD, MA
Senior Principal Research Scientist, National Network of Public Health Institutes
Steering Committee, National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention
Treasurer, The Black Caucus of SRCD
Finance and Audit Committee, Society of Research on Child Development
Flóra Faragó, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Human Development and Family Studies
Angelina Majeno, Ph.D., MPH, MA
Department of Psychological Science
University of California, Irvine
Kendall Morris, PhD
Assistant Professor Michigan State University School of Social Work
Kimberly R. M. Osborne, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Professor
T. Denny Sanford Harmony Institute
Arizona State University
Vaishali V. Raval, PhD
Professor, Department of Psychology, Miami University
Chair, US National Committee for Psychological Science, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine
Mia Radovanovic
Univ. of Toronto