Reviewer Guidance and Training

4 – The Review Process:

Since your review process should include multiple people (to prevent bias), it is important to ensure they are all on the same page concerning your EDI measures. This will require guidance and/or training. Even if you are the only one reviewing applications, establishing clear guidance for your own process before you begin will reduce any unconscious bias.

Unconscious Bias

Unconscious bias refers to assumptions we make about people from different, often marginalised, backgrounds without realising or intending harm or discrimination.

Training aims to reduce the effects of unconscious bias by encouraging people to be more mindful about their own bias, and the biases of others, so they can take an active role in reducing it. You can find online courses if your institution does not provide them. Although measures such as anonymous applications should have already reduced unconscious bias, it can still be helpful to train your reviewers in this area.

You can also reduce unconscious bias in your reviewers by reminding them to base their decisions and scores on specific information provided in the application instead of basing decisions on factors which could contribute to unconscious bias. Here, a structured review is beneficial with reviewers answering/scoring specific questions or in relation to specific requirements.

Double-Blind Peer Review

The Research-on-Research Institute also suggests that to improve the equity and inclusion of peer review, you should consider double-blind peer review. We have already suggested that you consider making applications anonymous, this suggestion takes it a step further by making the reviewers anonymous to the applicants as well.

It is, however, helpful to let applicants know in advance what kind of reviewers they will be. Applicants need to know whether they are writing their application for specialists or generalists (or both), for example.

SECTION 4: The Review Process

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