Toward Decolonizing Knowledge Production in Global Public Health: Efforts by a Global Health Peer Reviewed Journal

Toward Decolonizing Knowledge Production in Global Public Health: Efforts by a Global Health Peer Reviewed Journal

Natalie Culbertson, Managing Editor, Global Health: Science and Practice, Bloomberg School of Public Health

Launched in 2013, the Global Health: Science and Practice (GHSP) journal has worked to increase meaningful equity and inclusion of authors from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in knowledge production. GHSP has implemented several strategies, the most important of which was to outline the expectation that country-based authors be included on all papers focused on research or program implementation in specific countries. GHSP published on its efforts in 2023. A before-after analysis of all articles submitted to the journal at baseline (2019–2020) and after the journal changed its authorship policy guidelines (2021–2022) showed that the percentage of all authors from LMICs increased from 38% to 52%; the proportion of first authors from LMICs increased from 14% to 32%; and the proportion of articles with any LMIC author increased from 66% to 81%. A gap in acceptance rate persisted between articles with an LMIC first author and an HIC first author. This presentation will discuss the study, more current data, and further strategies to improve the acceptance rate by authors in LMICs which are under consideration.

Natalie Culbertson is the founding and current managing editor of Global Health: Science and Practice journal. She has worked in global health program management, capacity strengthening, and publishing at Johns Hopkins University since 1993.