Diversity in the International Journal of Forensic Mental Health

Abstract

In this article, we evaluate the extent to which the International Journal of Forensic Mental Health addresses and incorporates discussion of diversity constructs in its publications. Five years of publishing data from 582 manuscript submissions and 164 published articles were reviewed and coded for the inclusion of several diversity constructs (i.e., sex or gender, race or ethnicity, country, age, culture), how these constructs were included in the research (i.e., part of the hypothesis/aims of the study), and the countries the authors and participants represented. Results indicate that most article submissions, authors, and participant samples came from Europe, North America, and Oceania, and these regions had higher acceptance rates. Most articles included studies of clinical populations, and many authors’ primary affiliations were forensic mental health or correctional services. Less than a third of the article titles and over half of the article abstracts mentioned one of the diversity constructs examined. This is somewhat promising and tells us that the journal is publishing articles reporting and examining aspects of diversity in their samples. However, we argue more can be done. Future research and recommendations for the next steps in improving diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in the publication processes and publications are outlined.