About the Coalition
The Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications was founded by 10 trade and professional associations that represent organizations and individuals working in scholarly communications. The Coalition was formed to discuss and address issues of diversity and inclusion within our industry.
A number of surveys in recent years have shed light on the lack of diversity in scholarly communications. From issues of gender equality to the noticeable lack of ethnic diversity in our workforce, there is an increasing awareness that, as an industry, we are not a model of inclusivity. Publishing is truly a global enterprise yet that diversity is not reflected in our collective demographics.
Representatives from the 10 founding organizations first met in Boston, MA, at the Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) Annual Meeting in June 2017, to discuss our shared interests in addressing these challenges and to share information about current initiatives to tackle the lack of diversity and inclusion within the industry. We agreed to continue our discussions and collaborate on possible projects starting with a Joint Statement of Principles. Working collectively, we can combine our resources and have a greater impact.
During the initial meeting, we identified a number of areas to focus on. These included developing a joint statement of principles; conducting market research; providing training resources, best practices, toolkits, and documentation for our collective memberships; and establishing outreach programs, curricula, events, and publications.
Representatives from the Coalition now meet monthly, and have started to implement some of these initiatives. We welcome other scholarly communications organizations to join us.
If you’re interested in learning more, please contact Melanie Dolechek, SSP Executive Director.
Mission, Vision, and Values
The Mission of C4DISC is to work with organizations and individuals to build equity, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in scholarly communications.
The Vision of C4DISC is a socially just community that welcomes, values, and celebrates all who seek to contribute to scholarly communications.
The Values of C4DISC include:
Respect.
value differences
welcome diverse perspectives
Listen.
learn from different communities
make space for marginalized voices
Act.
eliminate barriers
be an ally
