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Published on: January 12, 2018
Double-blind review favours increased representation of female authors
Amber E Budden1, Tom Tregenza, Lonnie W Aarssen
1Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G5. aebudden@nceas.ucsb.edu <aebudden@nceas.ucsb.edu>
Abstract:
Double-blind peer review, in which neither author nor reviewer identity are revealed, is rarely practised in ecology or evolution journals. However, in 2001, double-blind review was introduced by the journal Behavioral Ecology. Following this policy change, there was a significant increase in female first-authored papers, a pattern not observed in a very similar journal that provides reviewers with author information. No negative effects could be identified, suggesting that double-blind review should be considered by other journals.
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