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. 2020 Oct 22:5:14.
doi: 10.1186/s41073-020-00100-4. eCollection 2020.

Do journals instruct authors to address sex and gender in psychological science?

Courtenay Cavanaugh  1 , Yara Abu Hussein  1
Affiliations

Do journals instruct authors to address sex and gender in psychological science?

Courtenay Cavanaugh et al. Res Integr Peer Rev. .

Abstract

Background: Sex and gender influence individuals' psychology, but are often overlooked in psychological science. The sex and gender equity in research (SAGER) guidelines provide instruction for addressing sex and gender within five sections of a manuscript (i.e., title/abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion) (Heidari et al., Res Integr Peer Rev 1:1-9, 2016).

Methods: We examined whether the 89 journals published by the American Psychological Association provide explicit instruction for authors to address sex and gender within these five sections. Both authors reviewed the journal instructions to authors for the words "sex," and "gender," and noted explicit instruction pertaining to these five sections.

Results: Only 8 journals (9.0%) instructed authors to address sex/gender within the abstract, introduction, and/or methods sections. No journals instructed authors to address sex and gender in the results or discussion sections.

Conclusion: These journals could increase sex/gender equity and improve the reproducibility of psychological science by instructing authors to follow the SAGER guidelines.

Keywords: Equity; Gender; Journal instructions to authors; sex; Reproducibility; Research design and reporting.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interestsThere are not completing interests to declare.

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