Diversity

When we think about making research more diverse, we can think about this at three several different levels, for example:

• diversity of samples

• diversity of researchers

• diversity of methodology

• diversity of outputs.

It is important that we work towards diversity in each of these domains in our respective fields.

Diversity of samples

In Week 3, you learned about generalisability. One facet of generalisability is whether or not your findings will apply in different cultures and contexts around the world. When collecting human data, a ‘sample’ is the group of people who take part in a research study. It’s important to think about ways to collect diverse samples for our research, as a more diverse sample will represent the wider population better than a less diverse one. Thus, sampling variation, which means the extent to which the data vary in different samples taken from the same population, is key to collecting and interpreting human data.

Although researchers may not have the funds to collect data in multiple countries, there are smaller ways they can extend their samples, for example:

• Collecting data from multicultural populations in their own country
• Collaborating with a researcher in another country
• Getting involved in big team science

Diversity of researchers

It is important to make sure your research teams are as diverse as possible. This is for reasons of equity, but also because people coming from different perspectives are likely to bring different ideas and insights to the research, making it richer! Here are some examples of ways that a diverse team of researchers can help a project be better:

• A team with members from various backgrounds can offer unique insights into culturally-specific health behaviours or practices in medical research.
• Including researchers with disabilities can lead to innovative solutions for accessibility in technology design.
• A mix of genders on a team can provide a balanced approach to studying gender differences in workplace dynamics or tackling workplace harassment.

Diversity of methodology

When we have more diverse teams, this can open our eyes to new perspectives and lead to new methodological approaches. It’s possible that your existing methodology cannot just be copied and pasted into a new cultural context, and instead would need many modifications to be culturally appropriate. For instance, research exploring a global reading intervention that only considered reading text from right to left might not be appropriate in cultures where text is read left to right. There are lots of different ways that you can try to diversify your research methodology, for example:

• A quantitative researcher collaborating with a qualitative researcher.
• Talking to colleagues from different fields about how to improve your research methodology.
• Collaborating cross-culturally on a new study design or rolling out an old study design in a new context.

Diversity of outputs

There are many ways of sharing research findings beyond academic journal articles (for example you have already learned about open data and open materials). Reviews themselves can also be made open, see for example the Publish Your Reviews initiative (ASAPBio, 2024). Platforms such as Jisc's Octopus challenge conventional practices and promote transparency and collaboration through allowing researchers to publish a variety of outputs. Additionally, podcasts, blogs, videos, and social media also offer powerful ways to increase reach and engagement, ensuring research impacts broader audiences. Here are some examples of ways of diversifying the outputs of your research:

• An educational psychologist could write a blog post summarising the results of their study, sharing this blog post with researchers, teachers, and parents/carers.

• A climate scientist could create a short, engaging video explaining their latest findings, tailored for a general audience and shared widely on social media.

• A historian could launch a podcast series discussing key insights from archival research, inviting guest experts and fostering a dialogue with listeners from diverse backgrounds.

Activity 2:

Allow about 15 minutes

This activity encourages you to reflect on practice in your own research setting.