Presentation Title: Gender-Neutral Language Policy for the Student Research Journal

Presenter(s): Benjamin Brown, School of Information

Abstract: I created a proposal to add a gender-neutral language policy for SJSU’s Student Research Journal. I started by researching gender-neutral language policies used by various organizations in their publication guidelines including the UN, APA, and ALA (to name a few). Next, I drafted a policy for SRJ. Our advisor, Dr. Bernier, suggested that I considered how the policy should be implemented beyond journal articles. As a result, it was designed to address three types of communication: among our editors, between editors and authors, and in articles. Finally, I outlined how it would be implemented. I proposed that the policy be added to our website’s policies page, that training material include the use of gender-neutral language, and that the rubrics used for manuscript evaluation be amended to specifically reference the APA Publication Manual section 5.5. The proposal was accepted by our editorial team and is being implemented now. This was an opportunity to learn about inclusion and management. To ensure that our publication is inclusive, I had to consider how to ensure that our editors, authors, and readers do not feel alienated, and I had to find practical avenues to ensure this policy was implemented in an actionable way.

Link to Recorded Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZD0-xGK200