NSERC guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research

NSERC is acting on the evidence that achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is essential to creating the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding, and respond to local, national and global challenges. This principle informs the commitments described in the Tri-agency Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and is aligned with the objectives of the Tri-agency EDI Action Plan. In order to achieve world-class research, we must address systemic barriers that limit the full participation of all talented individuals. Moreover, we must create a culture where embedding equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations into all aspects of research is second nature.

This guide provides the research communities served by NSERC with information and resources to help include EDI considerations in their research (figure 1). It consists of the following two sections:

• Section 1: Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations at each stage of the research process provides guidance on how to apply a critical EDI lens through the planning of research at each stage of the research process. It focuses on the research itself.
• Section 2: Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations for research teams provides guidance for building and maintaining a high-performing diverse team that will be engaged in completing the research. It focuses on how the research environment can be made more accessible and inclusive, and how to provide equitable opportunities for all members of the team to engage with the work being conducted.

In addition to these two sections, this guide also includes a list of relevant resources, which provide additional information on how EDI can strengthen your research and enrich your research team. There is also a list of references and a glossary at the end of this guide.

EDI considerations in research

EDI considerations at each stage of the research process	EDI considerations for research teams
Key questions: How is the research planned and carried out? Who are the research subjects? Who is impacted by the research?	Themes explored: Who works, collaborates and contributes to the research? The research environment Building and maintaining a high-performing, diverse team

Figure 1. EDI considerations in research includes two components: EDI considerations at each stage of the research process and EDI considerations for research teams.

Please note that this is an evolving document, which will be enhanced and strengthened over time, and additional examples will be made available. We welcome your comments, examples and advice in this regard via email to nseequity-equitesng@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.

Section 1

Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations at each stage of the research process

This section is designed to assist the research communities served by NSERC with embedding EDI considerations relevant to each or any stage of the research process (figure 2).

Figure 2. The research process: research questions, design of the study, methodology and data collection, analysis and interpretation, dissemination of results.

Considering EDI in the research process, where relevant, promotes research excellence by making it more relevant to society as a whole, ethically sound, rigorous, reproducible, and useful (Tannenbaum et al. 2019). It also fuels innovation through scientific discovery and by opening up new areas of research. In this context, EDI considerations promote research excellence by

• expanding the applicability of research findings and new technologies across a wider segment of society (examples 1, 4 and 8)
• helping to reveal implicit assumptions related to research that may otherwise go unnoticed and unchallenged (example 2)
• helping to mitigate biases by conducting inclusive research and improving technologies (examples 4, 8 and 11)
• supporting research outcomes that fairly benefit communities most impacted by the research (example 10)
• questioning biased norms and stereotypes (example 2)
• preventing overgeneralizations of findings that can be harmful or misleading (examples 3, 8 and 9)
• improving reproducibility of research findings, which can be more difficult when diversity-related variables are relevant to research but are not reported (examples 7 and 9)

When EDI are not considered, where relevant, in the research process, research results may be of lower quality and can lead to harmful outcomes. For example, when products are engineered based on a particular standard or on subjects assumed to be representative of the population as a whole, it can lead to serious consequences such as decreased safety and security or other inequities for some groups; see examples 1 and 8.

Example 2 illustrates how inequitable social norms have permeated into genetic research, leading to unfounded assumptions that were later proven to be inaccurate.

You are invited to consider your work through a critical EDI lens, from the initial framing of research questions to the dissemination of findings. The goal is to encourage greater reflection on how your research could be strengthened by the integration of EDI considerations where relevant. Applying an EDI lens means systematically examining how diversity factors such as sex (biological), gender (socio cultural), race, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, geographic location, among other relevant factors, and their intersections may affect the research questions, the design of the study, the methodology, analysis, interpretation, and the dissemination of results.  

NSERC acknowledges that EDI considerations may not be applicable in the context of some proposed research, but nonetheless encourages you to fully consider their relevance, as they apply to more areas than one might think. Thoroughly reflecting on the type of data collected and who might be impacted by the research findings is critical before concluding that EDI considerations are not relevant. Generally, research that involves or impacts human subjects, organisms capable of differentiation, or their tissues or cells can benefit from such considerations.

Incorporating EDI considerations in NSERC research proposals

The goal of this guide is not to be prescriptive about the design of your study; it is intended to encourage you to reflect on how EDI considerations can strengthen your research. NSERC acknowledges that these considerations may not be relevant to every field in the natural sciences and engineering. Therefore, you are encouraged to incorporate relevant EDI considerations in the proposal section of your application, as appropriate. If EDI considerations do not apply to your research, depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for, you may be asked to explain why they are not relevant in your application. You should refer to the specific instructions and information materials of the funding opportunity to which you are applying for additional guidance on how these considerations should be reflected in your application and on how they will be evaluated.

Guiding questions for incorporating EDI considerations in your research

The intent of the following questions is to provide guidance on what it means to critically reflect on your research using an EDI lens by offering examples of considerations or best practices for each stage of research. The questions are not exhaustive, and some may not be applicable to your research. However, we invite you to reflect on how your research may be strengthened by considering the questions and EDI factors that are relevant.

1. Research questions

• Does your literature review address relevant EDI considerations?
• What key words could be used in your literature review to gain deeper and broader knowledge of who might, or might not, be impacted by or contribute to the research?
• Are certain diversity factors and/or intersections known to affect the phenomenon of interest?
• What are the relevant knowledge gaps? Have previous studies failed to adequately incorporate relevant diversity factors or omitted investigating their intersections?  
• How will your research questions and the subsequent findings from your study apply to the needs or experiences of various groups? Who benefits from the findings and/or product developed? Have you considered which populations may experience significant unintended impacts (positive or negative) as a result of the planned research?
• Who should be consulted about the needs and wishes of the group under study (subjects or users)?
• What contextual factors are relevant and important, and what may be overlooked without a conscious, intersectional integration of these considerations?
• Have you made assumptions regarding certain diversity factors? Are these based on empirical evidence?

2. Design of the study

• Will members from the population/community of interest be invited to help shape the objectives of the study?
• Which diversity factor(s) could be embedded to strengthen the study? Why would you consider or not consider these factors and their intersections?
• What is your position relative to the context of the research problem or the subjects themselves? What biases related to identity, privileges and power imbalances could impact the study? How will they be mitigated?
• Does the proposed research follow relevant protocols and/or best practices on how, why and by whom research is to be conducted with relevant or impacted communities and how knowledge is accessed and shared (such as in Indigenous communities)?
• In cases that involve a research site, have you determined which Indigenous government or community has jurisdiction over or interests in the research site? Have you genuinely engaged with the community and considered their own research priorities and interests in the co-production of knowledge (even if you are from the community)? Are there opportunities for reciprocity in the design of the study, such that both the community and the researcher benefit (see example 5)?

3. Methodology and data collection 

• How will you obtain information for each diversity factor under consideration? How will privacy be protected?
• How will you ensure that the research participants reflect the diversity categories included in the research design?
• If the analysis is based on existing data sets, is there potential for bias due to the cultural and/or institutional contexts in which the data were generated?
• For Indigenous research, how will data collection and monitoring be conducted using established guides for/by Indigenous Peoples?
• How will bias be monitored, mitigated and recorded?
• Do EDI considerations impact relations between those conducting the research and those participating in it in ways that affect data collection (see example 6)? How will this be identified and mitigated?
• Does your proposal consider the different forms of support required (e.g., financial, logistical, cultural, linguistic) to ensure that the individuals or communities involved in the research are able to meaningfully participate in it?

4. Analysis and interpretation

• Where appropriate, have you:
• presented your data, disaggregated by diversity factors?
• evaluated whether diversity factors and/or their intersections have an impact on outcomes?
• statistically tested your data to determine whether the magnitude of effects is different for each diversity factor and their intersections?
• If diverse groups are involved in the research, will they have the opportunity to participate in the interpretation of the data and the review of research findings before the completion of the proposed research?
• If the results are inconclusive, will they be reported in a disaggregated format for future studies?
• Are you applying the findings of your research to the population as a whole when your method and design were in fact limited to certain groups?

• Did you report the diversity factor(s) used in the study to ensure that experiments are reproducible and findings are not over-generalized (see examples 3 and 9)? Have you considered including this information in the title, abstract or key words?
• If relevant diversity factors were not included in the study, did you acknowledge that it is a limitation of the study? Did you discuss the implications of the lack of such analyses on the interpretation of the results?

5. Dissemination of results^{Footnote 1}

• What means of dissemination will be most effective in reaching those who will use and/or could benefit from the findings?
• How will inclusivity be integrated during dissemination? Will accessible formats be used? Will anyone who took part in the research receive a summary of the research findings and/or be invited to a presentation about the work?
• Does the dissemination plan consider the language of use (i.e., English, French or other appropriate languages) depending on the groups identified (see example 10)?
• Does the dissemination material take into account gender sensitive and inclusive communication (e.g., gender-neutral language or unbiased content)?
• Are the dissemination strategies the product of collaborative efforts with diverse inputs or have they been envisioned in a narrower focus?

Section 2

Equity, diversity and inclusion considerations for research teams

This section is designed to assist natural sciences and engineering (NSE) researchers in understanding how EDI considerations are relevant to the building of teams, to recruitment and retention, and to the roles of team members in research design, research execution, analysis and interpretation of findings, and the dissemination of results (figure 3). The approach and questions described herein reflect considerations on the specific environment or culture of the team or lab, the broader institutional environment or culture, and the systemic barriers that members of underrepresented groups^{Footnote 2} may experience.

Figure 3. Building the research team and roles: building the research team: recruitment and retention; roles in research design; roles in research execution; roles in the analysis and interpretation of findings; and roles in the dissemination of results.

Definition of a research team

In the context of this guide, the research team is a group of researchers (including, but not limited to applicants^{Footnote 3}, co-applicants^{Footnote 4}, collaborators^{Footnote 5}, partners^{Footnote 6}, and trainees and/or students) involved in a research program or project, who share collective competence, expertise and/or goals. Members within the research team have defined roles, leadership and other contributions related to the research.

Note: Although trainees can be part of your research team, NSERC programs often consider highly qualified personnel (HQP) and their training and mentorship separately in their program literature. Special considerations may need to be given to these specific members of your team.

Considering EDI in the context of research teams promotes research excellence by

• increasing research teams’ effectiveness through improved collaborative processes, collective intelligence and the ability of the team to perform a variety of tasks (box 1)
• increasing performance and collaboration within diverse groups (boxes 2 and 4)
• driving radical innovation within diverse research teams (box 3)
• promoting equity and inclusion through effective mentorship, thus enhancing recruitment and retention in teams (box 5)
• allowing collective input from different points of view during problem solving, leading to improved performance (box 6)
• creating an inclusive climate through leadership that helps to realize the potential benefits of diversity (box 7)

You are invited to consider your research team’s composition through an EDI lens, from the initial building of the team to their roles throughout the stages of the research process. The goal is to encourage greater reflection on how your research and team could be strengthened by taking steps to create an equitable and inclusive environment with diverse team members, including equitable and inclusive participation and decision-making.

Incorporating EDI considerations for research teams in NSERC applications

The aim of this section is not to be prescriptive about the composition of your research team; it is intended to encourage NSE researchers to think about and identify challenges and barriers specific to their research team and environment. We acknowledge that these considerations may vary in different contexts; the questions below are not exhaustive, and some may not be applicable to your research team. You should refer to the specific instructions and selection criteria of the funding opportunity to which you are applying for additional guidance on what EDI considerations should be described in your application and how they will be evaluated.

Guiding questions for incorporating EDI considerations for your research team

1. Building a research team: recruitment and retention

Building a research team

• What steps can you take to learn about the current state of diversity in your discipline(s), department(s) or institution?
• What role can you play to help identify and mitigate potential barriers and biases within your research environment?
• Does your institution have EDI mentorship resources to support you in the building of a diverse team of co-applicants, collaborators, research personnel and partner organizations?
• When composing a team, consider the topic and people potentially most impacted by the research. Could individuals and partner organizations from such groups or communities be included to co-develop the research?
• What abilities, competencies, experience and/or EDI considerations do you think about when identifying team leadership?
• Have you considered identifying an “EDI champion” within the team?
• For larger research networks and institutes, what EDI considerations are taken into account in the composition of governance bodies?

Recruitment processes

• Does your institution have existing EDI guidelines or policies related to the recruitment of a diverse pool of candidates?
• How can you create a process that mitigates potential bias in the recruitment of trainees and new team members? For example:
• Ask all members of the selection committee to complete EDI and bias training and to declare all potential conflicts of interest with the applicants.
• Promote decision-making by more than one person to ensure an open and transparent process where potential unconscious bias and conflicts of interest are managed.
• Do your interview questions and assessment processes used to select candidates and collaborators consider a broad range of contributions, achievements and experiences as markers of excellence?
• Are there established policies or procedures in place to ensure that career leaves and varied career paths are fairly considered in recruitment and selection processes?

Building EDI capacity and knowledge

• Consider the following actions to develop knowledge and understanding of EDI issues in the research context:
• Training on EDI-related issues such as anti-racism and implicit bias, among others
• Reading published research on EDI topics, particularly work that includes consideration of the lived experience of members of underrepresented groups in the NSE research ecosystem
• Speaking with researchers and leaders at your institution about their commitment to EDI and what they are doing to understand and address systemic barriers in research
• Learning about your institution’s EDI action plan, whether it has signed on to the Dimensions Charter and actions taken to live up to the charter’s principles
• Consider implementing training and processes to enhance skills related to teamwork, such as interpersonal skills (effective and respectful communication, conflict and time management), which have been shown to be an important factor in high-performing, diverse and inclusive teams (box 4).

Retention and team environment

• How will you ensure equitable research training opportunities for all team members, including students, to be successful throughout the research process (specific techniques or instruments, seminars, etc.)?
• What mentoring strategies will be developed to promote diversity and student success (e.g., group and/or individual meetings, peer mentoring, inclusive lab culture, diverse roles models, help with graduate requirements and professional milestones, soft skills development, etc.)?
• How will complaints be managed and conflicts resolved within the team? How will you ensure that all team members are aware of such processes as well as broader institutional policies related to ethics, harassment, etc.?
• Have you considered the different forms of support and accommodation required by team members to ensure equitable, inclusive and accessible participation in the research environment, team meetings and events (e.g., financial, logistical, cultural, linguistic, accessibility, caring responsibilities)?

2. Roles and responsibilities within a research team

Research design

• Consider how biases rooted in discrimination, privileges and power imbalances could impact the participation of research team members. How will these biases be mitigated?
• How will you ensure that all members are invited to help shape the objectives of the study and contribute to the research team? Consider this point especially for co-applicants, who are often junior faculty and/or HQP.

Research execution

• What role will collaborators have in the execution of the research? How will different points of view be included?
• How will your team ensure that EDI is considered regarding access to equipment used in the research? How will more junior co-applicants and/or HQP be considered?
• Do you have clear, equitable and transparent procedures established to ensure that opportunities for networking, leadership training, conference attendance, etc. and associated financial support are available to all team members?

Analysis and interpretation of findings

• How will you ensure that all members have a voice and contribute to the research, analysis and interpretation of data and review of research findings before the completion of the proposed research?

Dissemination of results^{Footnote 7}

• What considerations could be taken into account with regards to
•  the roles of team members when submitting publications and research outputs?
•  attributing authorship/credit to team members?
• How will opportunities for presenting research findings at conferences, workshops and other venues be distributed among the team members?
• How will you ensure that the dissemination strategies and materials are the product of collaborative efforts with a diversity of input from all team members?

Relevant resources

General resources on EDI considerations for research in the NSE

• Ressources en ÉDI - Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue 
  (Available in French only).
  This site includes training resources and practical guides on integrating principles of EDI and intersectionality into various aspects of research, including funding applications and research teams composition. It also includes a guide for inclusive writing, principles for research within an Indigenous context, and a guide for incorporating intersectionality within research projects.
• Towards Reconciliation: 10 Calls to Action to natural scientists working in Canada (Wong et al. 2020)
  (Available in English only).
  The authors “challenge the scientific community to recognize that reconciliation requires a new way of conducting natural science, one that includes and respects Indigenous communities, rights and knowledge, leading to better scientific and community outcomes.” Among these calls to action are the following items in that relate particularly to research design:
  • Understanding the socio-political landscapes around research sites;
  • Recognizing that generating knowledge about the land is a goal shared with Indigenous Peoples and to seek meaningful relationships and possible collaboration for better outcomes for all involved;
  • Calling on natural scientists to enable knowledge sharing and knowledge co-production; 
  • And calling on natural scientists studying animals to seek out advice from Elders for respectful ways of handling animals.

Key resources specific to EDI considerations in the research process

• Gendered Innovations in Science, Health & Medicine, Engineering, and Environment  (Available in English only).
  Website published by Stanford University where researchers can find multiple resources focusing on the development of practical methods of sex, gender and intersectional analysis for research in the sciences and engineering, as well as case studies highlighting how these kinds of analyses lead to innovation. See also the related policy report prepared by the European Commission: Gendered Innovations 2: How Inclusive Analysis Contributes to Research and Innovation. This report provides methodological tools and concrete case studies, which illustrate successful gender integration into key research and innovation areas. It also provides an analysis of impacts of sex and gender during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• A review of Indigenous knowledge and participation in environmental monitoring (Thompson, Lantz and Ban 2020)
  (Available in English only).
  This review poses EDI-related research questions and defines the terminology related to the diversity factors at play. It also discusses how people in positions of power impact the Indigenous Peoples’ participation in environmental monitoring.  
• Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans – TCPS 2 (2018), which includes a chapter on Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada (Chapter 9)
• Gender Shades (Buolamwini and Gebru 2018)
  (Available in English only; includes a short summary video available with English audio and French subtitles).
  A website, which presents research that explored the biases of automated facial analysis algorithms and datasets when considering individuals with different skin colours and genders. Results showed that darker skinned women are the most misclassified group. The study published from this analysis highlights the need for improvement in accuracy across different gender and racial categories for more accurate and accountable facial analysis algorithms.

Key resources specific to EDI considerations for research teams

• Bias in Peer Review online learning module (CIHR)
• Canada Research Chairs: Creating an Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive Research Environment: A Best Practices Guide for Recruitment, Hiring and Retention

References

Arnett, J.J. (2008). The neglected 95%: Why American psychology needs to become less American. American Psychologist, 63(7), 602-614.

Ashikali, T., Sandra G., and Ben K. (2020). The Role of Inclusive Leadership in Supporting an Inclusive Climate in Diverse Public Sector Teams. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 41(3), 497-519. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X19899722

Bear, J. B., and Anita W. W. (2011). The Role of Gender in Team Collaboration and Performance. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 36(2), 146–153. https://doi.org/10.1179/030801811x13013181961473.

Beery, A.K., and Zucker, I. (2011). Sex bias in neuroscience and biomedical research. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 35(3), 565-572. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.07.002.

Bodla, A. A., Ningyu T., Wan J., and Longwei T. (2016). Diversity and Creativity in Cross-National Teams: The Role of Team Knowledge Sharing and Inclusive Climate. Journal of Management & Organization, 24(5), 711–29. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2016.34.

Bose, D., and Segui-Gomez, M. (2011). Vulnerability of female drivers involved in motor vehicle crashes: an analysis of US population at risk. American Journal of Public Health, 101(12), 2368–2373. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300275.

Bozeman, B., and Gaughan, M. (2011). How Do Men and Women Differ in Research Collaborations? An Analysis of the Collaborative Motives and Strategies of Academic Researchers. Research Policy 40(10), 1393–1402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2011.07.002.

Buolamwini, J., and Gebru, T. (2018) Gender shades: intersectional accuracy disparities in commercial gender classification. Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, 81:77–91.

Cheruvelil, K. S., Soranno, P. A., Weathers, K. C., Hanson, P. C., Goring, Si. J., Filstrup, C. T., and Read, E. K. (2014). Creating and Maintaining High-Performing Collaborative Research Teams: The Importance of Diversity and Interpersonal Skills. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 12(1): 31–38. https://doi.org/10.1890/130001.

Cripps, G., Flynn, K. J., and Lindeque, P. K. (2016). Ocean Acidification Affects the Phyto-Zoo Plankton Trophic Transfer Efficiency. PLoS ONE, 11(4), e0151739. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0151739

Davis, D.W., and Silver, B. D., (2003), Stereotype threat and race of interviewer effects in a survey on political knowledge. American Journal of Political Science, 47 (1), 33-45. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-5907.00003.

Davis, R.E., Couper, M.P., Janz, N.K., Caldwell, C.H., and Resnicow, K. (2010). Interviewer effects in public health surveys, Health Education Research, 25(1), 14-26. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyp046

Díaz-García, C., González-Moreno, A., and Sáez-Martínez, F. J. (2013). Gender Diversity within R&D Teams: Its Impact on Radicalness of Innovation. Innovation, 15(2), 149–160. https://doi.org/10.5172/impp.2013.15.2.149.

Ellis, R. P., Davison, W., Queiros, A. M., Kroeker, K. J., Calosi, P., Dupont, S., Spicer, J. I., Wilson, R. W., Widdicombe, S. and Urbina, M. A. (2017), Does sex really matter? Explaining intraspecies variation in ocean acidification response. Biology Letters, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0761.

Gould, J. (2021, October 6). “The Many Mentoring Types Explained.” Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02730-0.

Harrison, D. A., Price, K. H., and Bell, M. P. (1998). Beyond Relational Demography: Time and the Effects of Surface- and Deep-Level Diversity on Work Group Cohesion. The Academy of Management Journal, 41(1), 96–107. https://doi.org/10.5465/256901.

Harrison, D. A., Price, K. H., Gavin, J. H., and Florey, A. T. (2002). Time, Teams, and Task Performance: Changing Effects of Surface- and Deep-Level Diversity on Group Functioning. The Academy of Management Journal, 45(5), 1029–45. https://doi.org/10.2307/3069328.

Heenrich, J., Heine, S., and Norenzayan, A. (2010). Most people are not WEIRD. Nature, 466, 29. https://doi.org/10.1038/466029a

Hewlett, S. A., Marshall, M., and Sherbin, L. (2013, December). “How Diversity Can Drive Innovation.” Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2013/12/how-diversity-can-drive-innovation.

Hong, L., Page. S. E., and Baumol, W. J. (2004). Groups of Diverse Problem Solvers Can Outperform Groups of High-Ability Problem Solvers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 101(46), 16385–16389. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3373827.

Kingma, B., and van Marken Lichtenbelt, W. (2015) Energy consumption in buildings and female thermal demand. Nature Climate Change, 5, 1054–1056. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2741

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.(2019, October 30). Mentoring Could Improve Diversity and Inclusion in STEMM but Needs More Attention in Colleges and Universities, Says New Report, Which Identifies Effective Mentoring Practices. https://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=25568&utm_source=NASEM+News+and+Publications&utm_campaign=ac659363e8-NAP_mail_new_2019_11_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_96101de015-ac659363e8-106976753&goal=0_96101de015-ac659363e8-106976.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25568.

National Research Council. (2015). Enhancing the Effectiveness of Team Science. (Committee on the Science of Team Science, N. J. Cooke, and M. L. Hilton, Eds.). Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/618/2015/11/Enhancing-the-Effectiveness-of-Team-Science-2015.pdf. 

Nocco, M. A., et al. (2021). Mentorship, Equity, and Research Productivity: Lessons from a Pandemic. Biological Conservation, 255(108966). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.108966.

Page, S. E. (2008). The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Quintana, A. M. (2021). Leading by Example: Developing Mentoring Strategies to Promote Diversity and Student Success. (V. Segarra, Ed.). Molecular Biology of the Cell, 32(22), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.e21-04-0199.

Richardson, S. (2008). When gender criticism becomes standard scientific practice: The case of sex determination genetics. In L. Schiebinger (Ed.), Gendered Innovations in Science and Engineering (pp. 22-42). Stanford University Press.

Richardson, S. (2013). Sex Itself: The search for male and female in the human genome. Chicago: University of Chicago press.

Schiebinger, L., Klinge, I., Paik, H. Y., Sánchez de Madariaga, I., Schraudner, M., and Stefanick, M. (Eds.). (2011-2020). Gendered Innovations in Science, Health & Medicine, Engineering, and Environment. (genderedinnovations.stanford.edu).

Sorge, R. E., et al. (2014). Olfactory exposure to males, including men, causes stress and related analgesia in rodents. Nature methods, 11(6), 629–632. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2935 

Tannenbaum, C., et al. (2019). Sex and gender analysis improves science and engineering. Nature, 575, 137 – 146. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1657-6

The Trustees of Princeton University. (2022). Faculty Research Forum: Mentoring and Research Culture. Princeton Research – Office of the Dean for Research. https://research.princeton.edu/research-development/faculty-research-forum/mentoring-and-research-culture

Thompson, K.-L., T. Lantz, and N. C. Ban. (2020). A review of Indigenous knowledge and participation in environmental monitoring. Ecology and Society, 25(2): 10.

van Rijnsoever, F. J., and Hessels, L. K. (2011). Factors Associated with Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration. Research Policy, 40(3): 463–472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2010.11.001

Wong, C., et al. (2020) Towards reconciliation: 10 Calls to Action to natural scientists working in Canada. FACETS, 5(1): 769-783.

Woolley, A. W., et al. (2010). Evidence for a Collective Intelligence Factor in the Performance of Human Groups. Science, 330 (6004), 686–688. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1193147

Glossary

This glossary was developed using definitions from various sources and includes definitions that were previously available in earlier editions of some documents. However, the current glossary will be continuously revised, as needed, using updated definitions such as those included in the Government of Canada’s Guide on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Terminology.

Accessibility: The combination of aspects that influence a person's ability to function within an environment^{Footnote 8}.

Diversity: Term used to describe the presence of a wide range of human qualities and attributes within a group, organization or society. Diversity encompasses acceptance and respect of individual identities, which include, but are not limited to, the dimensions of race, language, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, disability, neurodivergence, physical appearance, religious beliefs, political beliefs or other ideologies, ancestry, culture, geographic background (see also equity, inclusion)^{Footnote 9}.

Equity: The principle of considering people's unique experiences and differing situations, and ensuring they have access to the resources and opportunities that are necessary for them to attain just outcomes^{Footnote 10}.
Equity means fairness; people of all identities being treated fairly. It means ensuring that the processes for allocating resources and decision-making are fair to all and do not discriminate on the basis of identity. There is a need to put measures in place to eliminate discrimination and inequalities which have been well described and ensure, to the best degree possible, equal opportunities.

Notes: Equity aims to eliminate disparities and disproportions that are rooted in historical and contemporary injustices and oppression.
Equity is needed to achieve equality^{Footnote 11}. For example, treating people as equals in an environment in which historical and systemic disadvantages prevent people from operating as equals can be inequitable—it lacks the fairness of a truly equitable situation.

Ethnicity: The variety of beliefs, behaviours and traditions held in common by a group of people bound by particular linguistic, historical, geographical, religious and/or racial homogeneity. Ethnic diversity is the variation of such groups and the presence of a number of ethnic groups within one society or nation^{Footnote 12}.

Gender: Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men, and people with diverse gender identities. It influences how people perceive themselves and each other, how they act and interact, and the distribution of power and resources in society. Gender is usually conceptualized as binary (girl/boy and woman/man), yet there is considerable
diversity in how individuals and groups understand, experience and express gender, including agender, non-binary and transgender identities^{Footnote 13}.

Inclusion^{Footnote 10}: The practice of using proactive measures to create an environment where people feel welcomed, respected and valued, and to foster a sense of belonging and engagement.

Note: This practice involves changing the environment by removing barriers so that each person has equal access to opportunities and resources and can achieve their full potential.

Indigenous Peoples: Indigenous means “native to the area” and applies to peoples who have occupied a territory since time immemorial. In Canada, Indigenous Peoples include First Nations, Inuit and Métis  (see also Aboriginal Peoples, First Nations, Inuit, Métis)^{Footnote 14}.

Intersectionality: A term coined in 1989 by Kimberlé Crenshaw, and built upon by other Black feminist scholars, which acknowledges the ways in which people’s experiences are shaped by their multiple and overlapping identities and social locations, as well as intersecting processes of discrimination, oppression, power and privilege. Together, these interlocking identities and processes can produce a unique and distinct experience for an individual or group, such as the creation of additional barriers or opportunities^{Footnote 15}.

Race^{Footnote 10}: A group of people who are arbitrarily categorized according to common physical characteristics, regardless of language, culture or nationality.

Notes: The concept of race has long since been used to establish differences between groups of people, often according to a hierarchy. It focuses on identifiable physical characteristics, such as skin colour, hair texture and facial features.
There is no scientific basis for the concept of race.
Refusing to talk about race could imply that racism and its consequences do not exist.
Not to be confused with the term “race” used to mean “ethnic group,” which refers to a group of people with shared cultural, linguistic or religious characteristics.

Sex^{Footnote 10}: A defined set of anatomical and physiological characteristics, including chromosomes, gene expression, hormones, and reproductive or sexual anatomy.

Notes: Sex is usually categorized as female or male, but there is variation in the biological attributes that comprise sex and how those attributes appear. Often a person with these variations is characterized or self-identifies as intersex.
While sex refers to a set of anatomical and physiological characteristics, gender refers to a social construct, and goes beyond the traditionally understood binary concept that there are only two genders (women/men) and that a person’s sex assigned at birth aligns with their gender identity.

Unconscious bias: An implicit attitude, stereotype, motivation or assumption that can occur without one’s knowledge or intention. Unconscious bias is a result of one’s life experiences and affects all types of people. Everyone carries implicit or unconscious biases. Examples of unconscious bias include, among others, gender bias, cultural bias, race/ethnicity bias, age bias, language bias and institutional bias. Decisions made based on unconscious bias can compound over time to significantly impact the lives and opportunities of others who are affected by the decisions one makes^{Footnote 16}.

---