The power of diversity: How editorial board composition affects journal impact

The potential influence of editorial board diversity to affect academic journal impact and therefore the degree to which journals are taken seriously, respected, and relevant is what drives this study. This study adopted a mixed-methods research process using a literature review, content analysis of 60 journal editorial boards, and an online survey of editors in order to offer insight into gender as well as geographic and institutional diversity. Reviewing data in journals from fields such as the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, the present study determined that greater diversity correlates positively with indicators of performance at a given journal. They found out that the probability of manuscripts by authors from underrepresented groups being submitted to a journal increases with the gender diversity of the journal, and that international editorial boards, as well as international citation network location, contribute positively to geographical diversity. This indicates that a certain level of institutional diversity is necessary for advancing interdisciplinarity and the generation of new methodologies. The impact of greater diversity on the board also includes, among other things, “making professional contacts”, “reducing the likelihood of publication bias” and “raising awareness of new areas of research”. Although this is a correlational finding, the latter presents a clear confirmation that organizations focusing on diversity not as social responsibility are usually more successful. So, this research may be informative for reflecting on the broader implications of current shifts in the ways in which knowledge is being produced and disseminated around the world.

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