Following up on our request for information about the use of resource evaluation criteria that address DEI, the SCLG DEI Working Group would like to share and ask for your feedback on a set of draft evaluation questions that we developed.
To develop the questions, the Working Group reviewed existing DEI evaluation tools for collections/scholarly communication, inside and outside of the UC. We were most influenced by the work done by the STAR Team, VIVA’s Value Metric Project, and the FOREST Framework.
Please find below examples of questions we might ask vendors in order to understand their current DEI practices. We have assigned a scale (1-5) to assess vendor responses and would use the ‘scores’ to help us evaluate resources under consideration for systemwide licensing and/or renewal. The ‘scores’ would be used to further inform our decisions about moving forward with a resource. The questions we selected are asking about practices to both help us understand if these things are happening and to demonstrate our values. We would also like to get a sense of what related practices the vendors may or may not be doing.
Moving forward, we anticipate running pilot evaluations with the agreed upon questions and grading scale and making any necessary adjustments before applying the evaluation tool to all current and prospective Tier 1 resources.
Please keep in mind that the below is very much a draft and we value your input to further guide our efforts. Some specific questions we are interested in hearing your answers to:
Please submit your feedback to [log in to unmask] by Friday, June 30.
Sincerely,
The SCLG DEI Working Group:
Sarah McClung, UCSF
Jo Anne Newyear Ramirez, UCB
John Renaud, UCI
Kerry Scott, UCSC
Questions:
Content | Evidence | Scale |
Does your resource include content about historically underrepresented and/or oppressed voices? | 0-5 | |
Does your resource include content authored by historically underrepresented and/or oppressed voices? | 0-5 | |
Does your editorial board or equivalent include diverse voices? | 0-5 | |
Is your organization considered an independent publisher or equivalent? |
| 0-5 |
Engagement | Evidence | Scale |
Does your organization engage in metadata revisions to decolonize language and reduce bias? |
| 0-5 |
Does your organization provide statements that contextualize the historic use of any outdated/harmful terminology? | NA-5 | |
Does your organization actively engage in practices to recruit diverse authors and editors? |
| 0-5 |
Does your organization participate in content review (e.g., peer review) and hiring practices that remove identifying information in order to reduce bias? | 0-5 | |
Does the license agreement include a commitment to user privacy? |
| 0-5 |
Accessibility | Evidence | Scale |
Does the license agreement include a commitment to compliance with the ADA and other regulatory bodies? |
| 0-5 |
Is your content DRM-free? | N/A-5 | |
Does your multimedia include transcripts? | N/A-5 | |
Does your multimedia include closed captioning? | N/A-5 | |
Is your content screen reader ready? |
| N/A-5 |
Is your content accessible via mobile devices? |
| N/A-5 |
Does your organization demonstrate a commitment to providing access and publishing opportunities to researchers in developing countries (e.g., non-APC OA, Research4Life participant)? |
| N/A-5 |
Grading scale:
Current status of initiative | Scale |
Not Applicable | N/A |
Not Planning | 0 |
Considering | 1-2 |
In Progress | 3-4 |
Implemented | 0-5 (including 0 for companies that have statements, but no visible actions related to statements) |