Resources & Tools

Global Inclusion in Research Publishing

At Springer Nature, our mission is to be part of progress - we believe that research progress depends on the inclusion of diverse perspectives and that the best research emerges when researchers from all backgrounds are empowered to contribute fully.

We are committed to ensuring the research we publish reflects and benefits the global community we serve. We support inclusive publishing practices and work with a broad range of communities, contributors, and partners to make research more open, accessible, and fair. 

Our latest report offers insights into gender representation across authors and editors in Book publishing at Springer Nature and provides a view on how we are building inclusive publishing practices. Explore the report further.  

As editors, you play a pivotal role in championing inclusive practices and ensuring the research we publish reflects and benefits the global community. We have created this hub with actionable guides, data insights, reports, case studies, and more to inform, inspire and support you in developing inclusive publishing practices.

03D1S_DEILPUPDSM_600x340px-bookpublish

Addressing Unconscious Bias

Unconscious bias (also known as implicit bias) occurs without deliberate effort in all of us, as the brain makes automatic judgements about situations and people by relying on stereotypes and often incorrect assumptions. In the research and publishing ecosystem, it can affect decisions about funding, hiring, promotion, collaboration, credit, recognition, and publication. 

Learn more about unconscious bias and how to address it through our customized resources. Our new short course, Addressing Unconscious Bias, explores how unconscious bias works and introduces some strategies for challenging it as we work to create more open, diverse, and inclusive cultures within our professional/research communities.

Download this primer for a handy summary of key information from the short course.

DEI landing page

Resources and guides for inclusive publishing

Wondering how you can incorporate and promote inclusive publishing practices? Use these resources and guides to take steps toward greater global inclusion. 

Inclusive Language Guide and Sensitivity Reading Guide

How we communicate research findings can have an impact on their interpretation and wider application.  Find out more about Springer Nature’s Inclusive Language Guide and Sensitivity Reading Guide – two resources to support editors, and others (including authors and peer reviewers), to use bias-free language and presentation in research communication.

Inclusive Language Guide
Inclusive Language Guide
(PDF, 597.58 KB)
Sensitivity Reading Guide
Sensitivity Reading Guide
(PDF, 298.73 KB)

Global inclusion in editorial board and peer reviewer recruitment

In these easy-to-use guides on editor and peer reviewer recruitment, you will find practical tips and resources for what to consider when creating diverse and globally inclusive editorial boards and peer reviewers.

Intentional Content Strategy: Building representation and inclusion into your content strategy

We can have an impact on our readers, the communities we serve and the broader research environment through what we publish. Find out more in this infographic which sets out some practical ideas for how to develop a content strategy with a focus on representation, equity and inclusion.

Inclusion and ethics in global research collaborations

9783030157456Learn about the actions Springer Nature journals are taking to improve inclusion and equity in global research collaborations, and how to avoid helicopter research and ethics dumping using the TRUST Code: a global code of conduct for Equitable Research Partnerships.

Find out more: 

scientist image © Springer Nature 2023Inclusion in research study design

Learn about how Nature Portfolio journals are providing guidance to authors on how to report on sex and gender, race and ethnicity and other socially constructed categories in published research studies.  

Find out more about why and how to design research studies to be inclusive:

Data and insights on global inclusion in research and publishing

Get the insights and data you need to understand the landscape of global inclusion in research publishing to take action informed by data.


Global Research Pulse: India

Springer Nature’s second Global Research Pulse report focuses on India, the world’s fifth-largest economy, and home to 259 researchers in R&D per million people. This report delivers data-driven insights to help our editors shape journal strategy and deepen global engagement. For Springer Nature editors, this report is a strategic resource that helps ensure that our publishing reflects the changing research landscape we work in. 


Closing the Gender Gap: Peer Review at Nature Portfolio

Despite progress over the past two decades in improving representation of women across the research community, women continue to remain underrepresented in key disciplines and regions, with the gender gap widening with seniority. At Springer Nature, we are committed to addressing this imbalance. Our latest report offers a comprehensive analysis of gender representation across multiple stages of the publication journey. We believe that transparency is essential to driving meaningful change—and we’re proud to share these insights with the global research community. Explore the report further.


Editor Diversity at Springer Nature Journals

Our first benchmarking report examining geographic and gender diversity of our academic editors. We recognise that to facilitate change we must first understand our current editor demographics. This report provides an initial benchmarking analysis of editor diversity at Springer Nature, a community of over 100,000 academic editors, including Editors-in-Chief (EICs) and other editors for a group of approximately 3,000 Springer Nature journals. Browse the report to see what we discovered. 


Global Research Pulse: China 

Chinese research outputs have been steadily on the rise, and a shift from quantity to quality is apparent. Springer Nature's first Global Research Pulse report takes a look at the evidence of improvement in China's research quality, and the strategy that makes this possible. It offers essential insights to editors on the Chinese research landscape, so they can effectively engage with China and have the tools to make informed decisions.