How to Address Diversity in Research Proposals - A Guide

What diversity topics should you address (if they are relevant)?

What diversity topics should you address (if they are relevant)? Medium

• Team composition

  Team composition Topic 1 Off

  Team composition	Yes	No	Information to be provided in the proposal	Other resources
  Is the research team representative of the sample or study population?			If yes, you should say so in the proposal. If no, you might consider explaining why.
  Are there opportunities for teams to incorporate categories of diversity that are also present outside the research team?			If yes, you should explain how.
  Is there a balance in terms of gender, age, disciplinary background (when applicable), ethnicity, language skills, socioeconomic position, disability, and other attributes (see above)?			If there is a balance, and/or you have made conscious efforts to seek a balance, then you should say so in your proposal.
  Are you making efforts to recruit underrepresented groups to the team?			If yes, you should say so in your proposal.	A list of resources is being built.
  Are you planning to make sustainable efforts to increase access of underrepresented groups to this area of research?			If yes, you should say so in the proposal.  (Note: this might be appropriate for funding from NWO or other funders for science communication. It may also be appropriate for sections of the proposal that ask about activities related to open science.)

  Also: For a management section/work package, it might be appropriate to discuss the diversity of the team and how you will ensure that it flourishes.

• Management

  Management Topic 2 Off

  Management	Yes	No	Information to be provided in the proposal	Other resources
  Do you have an advisory board with members from the study population?			If yes, describe how they are chosen and compensated.
  Is there an external advisory board?			If yes, how far does it represent relevant diverse voices?
  Are early stage researchers given opportunities to have roles of responsibility?			If yes, describe how this will happen.
  Do you have a conflict resolution procedure to deal specifically with issues related to gender and diversity?			If yes, you should state this in the proposal. If not, you should state your confidence that the conflict resolution for scientific matters also functions for other conflicts

• Scope of the Project

  Scope of the Project Topic 3 Off

  Scope	Yes	No	Information to be provided in the proposal	Other resources
  Is your research about events, procedures, histories, or other aspects that involve a certain group or community of humans?			If yes, do you involve the perspectives of that group in the design, execution of research methods, the analysis of results, and the reporting of findings? Note: There are two ways to do this: you can imagine these perspectives, or you can ask the target group (which is the stronger strategy). Describe in the proposal how you do this.

• Methods

  Methods Topic 4 Off

  a. Study Population	Yes	No	Information to be provided in the proposal	Other resources
  Have you created a list of all of the criteria for inclusion and exclusion from the study group?			If so, list the criteria in your proposal.
  Can you justify these criteria, so that they do not privilege one group over another on any dimension?			If yes, consider justifying them in your text, especially if they seem contradictory.
  Are there consequences of this selection for the subject group and for those not belonging to your subject group?			If yes, consider discussing these consequences in your text.
  Can the results still be applied to larger groups (if applicable)?			If yes, justify this generalisation.
  Are there groups that are often excluded from comparable research setups?			If yes, consider explaining the reasons as well as the consequences.
  Do you need new data(sets) in order to include diversity dimensions?			If yes, describe how you will acquire this data and incorporate it into your study.
  b. Your presence as a researcher	Yes	No	Information to be provided in the proposal	Other resources
  Would you consider yourself a member of your subject group (if applicable)? Are others in your research team?			If yes, mention this in the proposal, and describe its implications for the research process.
  Does your gender/nationality/ethnic/language skills/physical ability/age/socio economic background etc. play a role in how you set up data collection, do the data collection, and impact your ability to recruit subjects?			If yes, describe in the proposal how you accommodate this impact and mitigate any risks it presents. If not, and if one could reasonably conclude that there should be an impact, you might consider describing how you will manage these.
  If you do interviews, will your interviewees have a comparable level of proficiency in the interview language as you do?			If yes, mention how you will accommodate these differences. If not, mention that it does not.
  c. Assumptions	Yes	No	Information to be provided in the proposal	Other resources
  Do your data collection, data analysis, and their outputs assume homogeneity of anatomy, physiology, disease processes, cognition and social behavior along dimensions of diversity?			If yes, definitely reflect on this assumption. In the proposal, consider justifying this assumption and how you have made allowances.
  d. Other	Yes	No	Information to be provided in the proposal	Other resources
  Do the administrative units/jurisdictions in which your research takes place have rules about reporting sex/gender that contradict procedures of your research? (Eg., some EU member states are working toward not requiring the reporting of sex/gender data.)			If yes, mention how you accommodate these rules.

• Results/Analysis

  Results/Analysis Topic 5 Off

  Results / Analysis	Yes	No	Information to be provided in the proposal	Other resources
  Does your analysis team involve any members of the community you are studying?			If yes, describe how. If word counts allow, consider briefly describing why this inclusion was not possible.
  Have you ensured that you can avoid gender/diversity-related bias in statistical analyses, modeling, and other analyses?			If yes, describe that you have done this, and also describe how.

• Reporting and Dissemination

  Reporting and Dissemination Topic 6 Off

  Reporting and Dissemination	Yes	No	Information to be provided in the proposal	Other resources
  Do you have plans to report findings to the community you are studying?			If yes, describe how. If no, justify this.
  Do you have plans to report your findings to a wide range of audiences — ie., not just academics?			If yes, describe those plans.
  Have you thought about the assumptions you make about the homogeneity of your outreach audiences? For example, reaching out to heart patients with results from a cardiovascular study is important, but do not assume that all heart patients have the same language skills or the same gender of the subjects in your study.			If yes, consider describing this process when you assemble your dissemination plan.
  Do you consider digital accessibility of your proposal and research output? Find a checklist here.			If yes, include this in the proposal.
  Will research results be presented at conferences that maintain a diverse speaker balance? Here are some examples.			If yes, say so in the proposal.

• Impact

  Impact Topic 7 Off

  Impact	Yes	No	Information to be provided in the proposal	Other resources
  Have you considered the potential scientific, societal, and economic impact of addressing dimensions of diversity in your methodology and dissemination plans?			If yes, include these impacts in your proposal. Also say that you have considered these potential impacts.
  Does your research contribute to increasing equity in society?			If yes, you should certainly mention this in the proposal.
  Does bringing diversity dimensions to your research meet previously unmet needs or open new markets?			If yes, you should mention this.

• Inclusive language

  Inclusive language Topic 8 Off

  Inclusive language	Yes	No	Information to be provided in the proposal	Other resources
  Do you use gender inclusive language in your proposal?			If yes, state this.
  Do you review the proposal (either by hand or using automated tools) for inclusive language?			If yes, state this.
  Do you use singular they instead of he/she?
  Do you use other inclusive terms (e.g. “person-hours” for “man-hours”)
  Has the proposal been reviewed for inclusive language, especially if it deals with a group that has been historically excluded? Think racial/ethnic categories, religious groups, and queer communities.			If yes, incorporate any changes, and also indicate that you have done this review.
  Will other documents from the project be reviewed for inclusive language?			If yes, incorporate any changes, and also indicate that you have done (or intend to do) this review.
  Will all materials from the proposed study (questionnaires, interview protocols, tasks, websites) be reviewed for understandability/usability?			If yes, state this in the proposal.
  Does the proposal have an inclusive reference list?			If yes, state this in the proposal.