Inclusive Research Research Articles

Interventions addressing care staff views of older LGBTQ+ people in residential and homecare settings: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionPrevious research has identified that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) social care service users have concerns and/or negative experiences of their care due to staff views and attitudes...

A plant mutant screen CURE integrated with core biology concepts showed effectiveness in course design and students' perceived learning gains.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide students with valuable opportunities to engage in research in a classroom setting, expanding access to research opportunitiesfor undergraduates, fostering inclusive research and learning environments, and bridging the gap between the research and education communities. While scientific practices, integral to the scientific discovery process, have been widely implemented in CUREs, there have been relatively few reports emphasizing the incorporation of core biology concepts into CURE curricula. In this study, we present a CURE that integrates core biology concepts, including genetic information flow, phenotype-genotype relationships, mutations and mutants, and structure-function relationships, within the context of mutant screening and gene loci identification. The design of this laboratory course aligns with key CURE criteria, as demonstrated by data collected through the laboratory course assessment survey (LCAS). The survey of undergraduate research experiences (SURE) demonstrates students' learning gains in both course-directed skills and transferrable skills following their participation in the CURE. Additionally, concept survey data reflect students' self-perceived understanding of the aforementioned core biological concepts. Given that genetic mutant screens are central to the study of gene function in biology, we anticipate that this CURE holds potential value for educators and researchers who are interested in designing and implementing a mutant screen CURE in their classrooms. This can be accomplished through independent research or by establishing partnerships between different units or institutions.

Participatory research with youth with disabilities: Experiences from sub-Saharan Africa.

Disability inclusive youth research, involving youth with disabilities in the design, implementation and dissemination of study data, is still limited in Africa. To describe and reflect on the experiences of involving youth with disabilities in an exploratory research study, focused on disability-inclusive education and employment in 7 African countries. 12 youths with different impairments, aged 18 to 35, were employed as researchers in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda. Youth researchers contributed to the data collection and analysis of interviews with 210 youth with disabilities. 24 youth advisors with disabilities formed two youth advisory groups (YAG) of 12 advisors each in the regional hub countries Ghana and Uganda. The YAGs met 4 times during the project and contributed to the study design, data collection, data analysis and dissemination activities. In addition, 4 workshops were held with the Ugandan YAG to develop a participatory film. Together with the youth participants, we reflected on the experiences of involving youth with disabilities and conducting research with, by and on youth with disabilities. We highlighted ethics and safeguarding, recruitment and representation, exploring experiences and data quality, participatory dissemination, accessibility, capacity building and networking as key areas of consideration and benefit in this project. Participatory research with youth with disabilities is feasible, enriching, and key to inclusive research that informs education and employment policy and practices. Lessons learned from youth involvement in a disability inclusive research programme, focused on education and employment in 7 African countries.

Leadership Strategies for Managing Human and Technological Diversity in the Industrial 5.0 Era: A Systematic Review

The problem formulation that arises from this research is how the efforts made by leaders in the industrial era 5.0 overcome problems related to the process of managing HR diversity and technological changes in increasing business innovation in order to increase business productivity and business sustainability, so that they can survive the changes that exist. This research focuses on discussing the efforts of leaders to overcome the problems of the process of managing HR diversity and technological changes in the 5.0 era in order to increase business innovation to increase business productivity and business sustainability. The results of the data analysis used used descriptive qualitative analysis using literature studies through systematic literature review. The research method uses a quantitative descriptive method of data analysis using the structural equation model (SEM) method, where the results of data processing with the SEM method are carried out with the PLS application. From the results of the study, it is concluded that the 5.0 leadership efforts in overcoming the management of HR diversity in increasing business innovation, namely building an inclusive culture, recognizing and appreciating diverse contributions, empowering employees, building intercultural skills, supporting inclusive research and development, using technology that supports engagement and collaboration and diversity-oriented monitoring and evaluation. The results concluded that the 5.0 leadership efforts in overcoming technology management in increasing business innovation, namely a deep understanding of technology, creating an environment that supports technological innovation, focusing on employee engagement and skills, partnering with technology experts, using technology for collaboration and communication, encouraging a culture of experimentation and learning, continuous review of processes and practices and recognition and reward for innovative contributions. Along with managing the diversity of human resources and technology in increasing business innovation, it can create more creativity and make leaders have to follow the direction and be able to adapt to changes so that the company can improve its performance and can continue to run its business optimally and be able to meet consumer needs properly.

Using participatory and inclusive methodologies to explore inclusive education in Africa.

This paper presents researchers' experiences using participatory, inclusive research methodologies to explore aspects of inclusive education, with children with disabilities, parents, and teachers in Nigeria and Kenya. The objective is to describe working with children and adults with disabilities, as research collaborators, alongside local INGO staff and OPD partners. In Kenya we worked with 9 peer researchers with disabilities to run focus groups and interviews with children with disabilities, parents and teachers about inclusive pre-school education. In Nigeria we ran participatory workshops with children with disabilities, and their parents discussing what makes school and community settings inclusive, to inform the design of a Wellbeing and Inclusion checklist. The studies were based in pilot primary schools and Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE or pre-school) classes in Nigeria and Kenya respectively. The data produced were recordings and notes from focus group discussions, interviews and activities and reflections from the peer researchers. Data analysis was an inclusive participatory process of thematic analysis carried out in person and online. These innovative approaches demonstrate that with careful planning and support, both adults and children with disabilities can be involved very directly in research processes not just as participants but as researchers. We argue that using participatory, disability-inclusive approaches helps to make the findings more nuanced and genuine and the data and outputs generated uniquely grounded in people's realities and perspectives. These methods can potentially inform the mainstreaming of a disability inclusion approach into international development debates and activities.

Make data flow: Understanding the (re)usability of research data

Opening data and making datasets reusable is an extremely important and urgent need, especially as we move towards more data-driven studies worldwide. Various stakeholders are involved in the life cycle of data (re)use, including data providers/sharers, data (re)users, data managers/curators, and funding agencies. In response to the divergent demands of these stakeholders, data repositories have been established to bridge their needs and facilitate the cycle of data sharing and (re)use. However, recent studies have shown that data is being shared and (re)used through open data repositories at much lower levels than expected. This underscores a fundamental and often overlooked challenge in research data management, inviting a deeper and more comparative examination of the perspectives of various stakeholders on data (re)use. Using a mixed-method approach that includes metadata analysis, interview-based qualitative studies, and quantitative bibliometric analysis, this project first delves into the facilitating and inhibiting factors affecting a dataset's potential for (re)use, considering the perspectives of both data (re)users and data curators. It will then identify and elucidate the disparities between data (re)users and data curators, proposing suggestions for future data curation efforts. The findings will prompt data curators and data repositories to re-examine their current metadata frameworks and data curation practices, aligning them more closely with the actual needs of data (re)users. Moreover, this effort will make the flow of research data moves more smoothly within our academic communities, and contribute to the building of a more inclusive, equitable, open, and user-friendly research infrastructure.

Sex, gender and human rights: essential components of inclusive medical research

ABSTRACT Much of past medical research has been sex and gender ‘blind’ and has failed to take account of gender norms and practices that place men and women at different levels of risk of certain diseases. Further, non-binary, trans and people with intersex characteristics have been especially marginalised in research practices. Other forms of discrimination based on race, disability and socio-economic disadvantage have cut-across and exacerbated these research gaps. This paper considers that medical codes of ethics alone are insufficient to address sex and gender disparities in medical research and suggests that adopting a human rights approach to medical research provides a systematic way to collect, analyse and report on sex and gender data in ways that are person-centred, empowering and participatory.

Looking Back When Moving Forward: Researching Sites of Former Disability Institutions

This article discusses an inclusive research program where colleagues and co-researchers (with intellectual disability) guide and inform future research practice to ensure research is targeted to areas of significance and relevance to them. The research program is about sites of former disability institutions. Many people with intellectual disability in Australia were segregated and forced to live in disability institutions until deinstitutionalisation efforts became mainstream in the late 20th Century. We are a team of four people based in New South Wales, Australia. Our team includes disability advocates and researchers who have contributed to a program of research exploring connections between sites of former disability institutions and contemporary disability rights. In this article, we reflect on conversations about our research undertaken so far and where the research goes from here. We explore five pillars of action informing how research relating to disability institutions can progress: 1. Current use: research exploring erasure of experiences of institutionalisation communicated through educational resources and maps about current use of sites of former disability institutions; 2. Reparative planning processes: research developing frameworks for alternative approaches to planning and heritage processes supporting alternative uses of former sites of disability institutions; 3. Official recognition and redress: research exploring perspectives on governments formally recognising and remedying experiences of people with disability who were institutionalised; 4. Community-led repair and remembrance: research identifying practices for both celebrating advocates with disability and reckoning with and repairing familial and social bonds broken through institutionalisation; 5. Community-inclusive practices: research exploring endurance of institutional practices in disability accommodation in community settings. These five pillars are underpinned by three foundational layers: advancing disability human rights; reckoning with intersections between disability institutions and settler colonialism, other dynamics of oppression, and eugenics; and using inclusive practices.

A scoping review on what constitutes a good research culture

Background The crisis in research culture is well documented, covering issues such as a tendency for quantity over quality, unhealthy competitive environments, and assessment based on publications, journal prestige and funding. In response, research institutions need to assess their own practices to promote and advocate for change in the current research ecosystem. The purpose of the scoping review was to explore ‘What does the evidence say about the ‘problem’ with ‘poor’ research culture, what are the benefits of ‘good’ research culture, and what does ‘good’ look like?’ Aims To examine the peer-reviewed and grey literature to explore the interplay between research culture, open research, career paths, recognition and rewards, and equality, diversity, and inclusion, as part of a larger programme of activity for a research institution. Methods A scoping review was undertaken. Six databases were searched along with grey literature. Eligible literature had relevance to academic research institutions, addressed research culture, and were published between January 2017 to May 2022. Evidence was mapped and themed to specific categories. The search strategy, screening and analysis took place between April-May 2022. Results 1666 titles and abstracts, and 924 full text articles were assessed for eligibility. Of these, 253 articles met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. A purposive sampling of relevant websites was drawn from to complement the review, resulting in 102 records included in the review. Key areas for consideration were identified across the four themes of job security, wellbeing and equality of opportunity, teamwork and interdisciplinary, and research quality and accountability. Conclusions There are opportunities for research institutions to improve their own practice, however institutional solutions cannot act in isolation. Research institutions and research funders need to work together to build a more sustainable and inclusive research culture that is diverse in nature and supports individuals’ well-being, career progression and performance.

The lived experience of co-production: Reflective accounts from the InCLUDE project

BackgroundThe value of co-produced research in health and social care is increasingly recognised, but accounts into the processes and individual experiences of co-producing research are lacking. This paper describes the personal journeys of four researchers (two experts by foster caring experience and two experts by profession) throughout the life course of a co-produced research project exploring the barriers and facilitators to inclusive research in foster caring, the InCLUDE project.MethodsEach researcher kept a diary throughout the InCLUDE project of their personal reflections, questions, and learning. These were synthesised and reviewed by the researchers and two colleagues external to the team, and key themes were extracted.ResultsNarratives constructed from the diaries are presented in relation to distinct aspects of the co-production journey, alongside illustrative quotes. These aspects include: motivations for starting the project; making sense of the project; defining roles and responsibilities; challenges; and reflections on acquired knowledge and skills. From these insights, the researchers present recommendations for others endeavouring to engage in co-produced research. These include: recognising vulnerabilities and challenges during the early stages of a project; creating safe spaces; seeing the value of diversity; harnessing individual strengths; establishing a strong routine; and ensuring equal voice.ConclusionsThis paper presents a novel perspective on the realities of co-produced research by documenting the lived experiences of researchers within the context of foster care research. It highlights the importance of both measurable, tangible project outcomes, and the personal and skills growth of team members. The consistent use of diaries is encouraged as a valuable practice to capture learning, progress and achievements throughout the co-production process.

Gender diversity and research productivity in accounting and finance at Australian and New Zealand HEIs

ABSTRACT This study has two main objectives. First, it refreshes investigations into research productivity within the accounting and finance domains across Australian and New Zealand higher education institutions from 2011 to 2022. Second, it reflects on affirmative action in Australia, arguing that its impact on women's experiences should extend beyond mere numerical measures. Analysing 48 top journals reveals a steady increase in research output with notable contributions from the University of New South Wales, Monash University, the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Queensland. Authors with five or more publications rank in the top 5%, highlighting the difficulty of achieving prolific publishing. Significantly, gender diversity improved, with female authorship rising from 19.27% to 31.73%, indicating a shift towards more inclusive research environments. However, a persistent gender gap among highly published authors suggests ongoing challenges. The study also examines job mobility among top contributors, offering insights into career progression within the academic community. Overall, the findings provide new insights into research productivity, the impact of affirmative action on gender diversity, and career mobility within the academic field of accounting and finance..

A critical race feminist research-informed agenda that centres African American girls in school principal research and practice

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to present five areas for research and school leadership practice that centre African American girls. An analysis of critical race feminist research published in peer-reviewed articles yielded five themes for inclusive and affirming leadership research and practices: (1) Centring African American girls’ and their families’ voices, identities and lived experiences in school visioning and decision-making; (2) Enacting a school culture to ensure access to rigorous curriculum that centers African American girls’ lived experiences; (3) Cultivating emotionally safe school environments; (4) Dismantling inequitable discipline policies and practices and creating physically safe school environments and (5) Ensuring professional learning that centers critical race feminisms and builds educator capacity to affirm African American girls. To underscore the importance of centring African American girls in principal practice, these areas are aligned with culturally responsive school leader behaviours.

Circular applied linguistics: A model for impactful, inclusive, and sustainable research

AbstractApplied linguists are committed to the investigation of language and real‐world problems. While this commitment leads to greater awareness of societal issues within the discipline, there are increasing pressures from societies and academic institutions to ensure that scholarship is available to, or has direct value for, the individuals and communities that are the target of our investigations. It is indeed difficult to enact social change through research when scholarship is not tailored to, and carried out with, the very individuals and communities that are being investigated. This paper attends to this opportunity by asking the following question. How do we engage in more impactful, inclusive, and sustainable research that explicitly involves the individuals and communities that we investigate? I introduce circular applied linguistics to consider the ways in which the discipline can be more impactful, inclusive, and sustainable in its research. I show how circular applied linguistics is based on the mutual benefit and shared knowledge of the researcher and the researched, creating a culture of ethical, open science, and leading to reflexive scholarship, that has greater relevance to societies.

Cultural distance, gender and praise in peer review

ABSTRACT Background: Understanding review comments holds significant importance within the realm of scientific discourse. This study aims to conduct an empirical analysis of factors associated with praise in peer review.Methods: The study involved manual labeling of “praise” in 952 review comments drawn from 301 articles published in the British Medical Journal, followed by regression analysis.Results: The study reveals that authors tend to receive longer praise when they share a cultural proximity with the reviewers. Additionally, it is observed that female reviewers are more inclined to provide praiseConclusions: In summary, these discoveries contribute valuable insights for the development of a constructive peer review process and the establishment of a more inclusive research culture.

Special considerations for hidradenitis suppurativa in skin of colour: A review of literature

AbstractHidradenitis suppurativa, a chronic inflammatory skin condition, disproportionately affects individuals with skin of colour (SOC), particularly African Americans. Despite the increased prevalence in SOC, racial minorities are underrepresented in HS clinical trials, limiting our understanding of treatment efficacy. The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the current literature regarding the clinical presentation, comorbidities, and management of HS in SOC individuals. A PubMed search was conducted using the terms Hidradenitis suppurativa, comorbidities, skin of colour, African–American, Hispanic, and quality of life with relevant studies written in English and pertaining to the demographics and clinical trials were included. African American patients with HS tend to experience more severe disease manifestations, higher rates of comorbidities like inflammatory bowel disease and anaemia, increased healthcare utilisation, and a greater likelihood of surgical interventions. While the current literature provides extensive information about African Americans regarding comorbidities and disease prevalence, there is a lack of research on Hispanic and other ethnic groups. For future research, it is important to broaden our focus to include various ethnic groups. Addressing these disparities requires focused interventions, inclusive clinical research initiatives, and healthcare policies tailored to the specific needs of patients with skin of colour.

Assessing Africa’s position in the development of AI-enabled ECG devices

Background The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in electrocardiographic (ECG) devices has become a pivotal area of research, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. These technologies are essential for enhancing cardiac diagnosis and monitoring. Methods This study assesses current trends, key contributors, and collaborative networks in the field of AI-enhanced ECG devices. We utilized a comprehensive analysis, using the Biblioshiny library from Bibliometrix for data exploration of data extracted from the Scopus database and VOSViewer for creating and visualizing maps. These tools were played an important role in conducting an in-depth analysis of the relationships and developments within the field. Results The analysis shows a significant increase in publications related to AI-enhanced ECG devices, with a marked surge during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the growing interest and technological advancements, the study exposes a notable disparity in the geographical distribution of research contributions, highlighting substantial under-representation of African researchers. This gap is attributed to infrastructural, financial constraints, and limited collaborative networks within the continent. Conclusion The rapid evolution and increasing importance of AI in ECG devices underscore the need for more inclusive research practices. There is a critical need to integrate and promote contributions from under-represented regions, particularly Africa, to ensure a globally diverse perspective in tackling health challenges. This study calls for enhanced participation and support for African researchers to bridge the existing research gap and foster global health equity.

Alternative and Herbal Pharmaceuticals

Alternative and herbal pharmaceuticals have gained significant attention in recent years as completing approaches to conventional medicine. This review explores the increasing interest in these organic remedies, meeting their productiveness, security, and supervisory challenges. Herbal medicines, arisen plants, and floral beginnings have existed secondhand for centuries in differing breedings for their healing features. The revival of interest in this natural device is compelled by one growing demand for whole and deterrent healthcare options. This review explains the pharmacological exercises of key herbaceous compounds, their machines of operation, and the clinical evidence advocating their use. Additionally, the unification of alternative healings into prevailing healthcare is checked, highlighting the significance of control of product quality, uniformity, and severe dispassionate experiments. While alternative and herbal pharmaceuticals offer hopeful benefits, they too pose challenges, containing instability in effectiveness and potential interactions accompanying unoriginal drugs. The review underlines the need for more inclusive research to confirm the efficacy and security of these analyses. In conclusion, alternative and herbaceous pharmaceuticals show a valuable addition to the healthcare arsenal, supported they are secondhand sensibly and as well evidence-located practices. Future research guidance and policy approvals are projected to embellish the unification of these healings into modern healing practice.

The challenges, opportunities and future of comparative physiology in the Global South: perspectives of early-career researchers.

Researchers in the Global South (GS, developing countries) make valuable contributions to the field of comparative physiology, but face economic and scientific disparities and several unique challenges compared with colleagues in the Global North (developed countries). This Perspective highlights some of the challenges, knowledge gaps and disparities in opportunity faced by GS researchers, especially those at early-career stages. We propose collaborative solutions to help address these issues, and advocate for promoting investment and cultural and societal change for a more inclusive research community. Additionally, we highlight the role of GS researchers in contributing expert knowledge on local biodiversity and the environment; this knowledge can help to shape the future of comparative physiology, allowing us to achieve a better understanding of the evolution of physiological mechanisms and to develop innovative solutions to environmental and biomedical challenges. With this Perspective, we hope to highlight the need to foster a more diverse, equitable and inclusive research landscape in comparative physiology; one that empowers GS scientists to address the global challenges associated with biodiversity loss, climate change and environmental pollution.

Reflections on an Evidence Review Process to Inform the Co-Design of a Toolkit for Supporting End-of-Life Care Planning With People With Intellectual Disabilities.

There is growing recognition that healthcare inequalities faced by people with intellectual disabilities extend to their experiences at the end of life, resulting in calls for more inclusive research to help address these inequities. Our study aimed to address this through the co-design of a toolkit for supporting end-of-life care planning with people with intellectual disabilities. To inform the co-design process, we undertook an evidence review to identify existing tools, resources and approaches that were already being used in practice. Our evidence review comprised three components: (i) a rapid scoping review of the academic literature, (ii) a desk-based search of the grey literature and (iii) an online survey to capture unpublished resources that were distributed to services, professionals, third-sector organisations and family members. A longlist of existing materials was appraised using an adapted version of the AGREE II instrument, resulting in a shortlist that was shared with the co-design team. The evidence review played a critical role in the co-design of a new toolkit of end-of-life care resources for people with intellectual disabilities. However, AGREE II proved to be limited for our purposes. The survey was particularly useful in helping us identify resources, tools and approaches in current use. We identified evidence review processes that served to support co-design team activities and elements that were more problematic. We argue that evidence review practices might be enhanced to better aid co-design activities in health and care research, particularly for studies involving people with intellectual disabilities. This article reflects on an evidence review that was conducted as part of The Victoria and Stuart Project. People with intellectual disabilities were deeply involved at every stage of project design, delivery and dissemination. The project employed people with intellectual disabilities as members of the core research team. People with intellectual disabilities and family carers were members of the project co-design team and the project Advisory Group. The evidence review process itself was led by academic members of the research team with contributions from colleagues with intellectual disabilities via the Advisory Group and core research team. The findings from the evidence review were used by the co-design team to inform the development of an end-of-life care planning toolkit for people with intellectual disabilities.

Sex and Gender Variables in Data Set Creation and Data Cleaning for Inclusive and Accurate Reproductive Health Research and Quality Improvement.

Existing data is often used for reproductive research and quality improvement. Electronic health records (EHRs) with a single data field for sex and gender conflate sex assigned at birth, genotype, gender identity, and the presence of anatomic tissue and organs. This is problematic for inclusion of transgender and gender-diverse populations in research. This article discusses considerations with a single-item sex and gender variable drawn from EHR records and describes an audit to determine variable validity as a criterion for inclusion or exclusion in perinatal research. Individuals with a live birth at a large academic medical center from 2010 to 2022 were identified via electronic query, and records with male demographic information were reviewed to validate (1) the patient's date of birth and delivery date in the EHR matched the medical record number, (2) male sex and gender demographic information, and (3) male gender terms in EHR notes. All health records of male birthing individuals (n = 8) had EHR evidence of giving birth within the health system during the timeframe, and the date of birth matched the medical record number of the EHR. All had male gender in the EHR demographic information. Six patients did not have any male gender terms in available EHR notes, only female gender terms. Two records had recent notes using male gender terms. Current EHRs may not have reliable data on the gender and sex of gender-diverse individuals. A single sex and gender variable drawn from EHRs should not be used as inclusion or exclusion criteria for health research or quality improvement without additional record review. EHRs can be updated to collect more data on sex, gender identity, and other relevant variables to improve research and quality improvement.