The Journal Article Reporting Standards for Race, Ethnicity, and Culture (JARS–REC) are new standards within APA Style JARS that address the discussion of race, ethnicity, and culture in scientific manuscripts in the field of psychology. Compiled by a team of scholars on the basis of theoretically informed recommendations, JARS–REC are designed to be used when reporting all research in psychology. These standards represent one initiative resulting from the 2021 Apology to People of Color for APA’s Role in Promoting, Perpetuating, and Failing to Challenge Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Human Hierarchy in U.S. Specifically, the APA Board of Scientific Affairs, with the Publication and Communications Board, convened the Working Group for Journal Reporting Guidelines for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice in Psychological Science to design a comprehensive set of standards to promote research transparency and methodological rigor in how we analyze race, ethnicity, and culture in psychological science. Ten expert psychologists served on this working group.
Historically, psychological research has often adopted a color- and power-evasive stance, by overlooking how race, ethnicity, and culture can influence scientific research and/or denying how racism and social inequalities inform research training practices, publishing and funding opportunities, and career outcomes for scholars in psychological science. Color- and power-evasive approaches in journal and publishing standards have created significant barriers for scholars conducting research on race, ethnicity, and culture, particularly in terms of how their work is perceived, valued, and cited by colleagues in psychology (Bernal et al., 2003; Graham, 1992; Guthrie, 2004; McLoyd, 1990; Sellers et al., 1998; Syed, 2017).
These standards are for all authors, reviewers, and editors seeking to improve manuscript quality by encouraging more racially and ethnically conscious and culturally responsive journal reporting standards for empirical studies in psychological science. A primary goal was to present authors with concrete guidance about how to thoughtfully consider the implications of race, ethnicity, and culture within their research, regardless of project stage (i.e., before data collection or during manuscript writing), methodological approach, or their prior experience with doing so.
We hope that all scholars—even those who do not believe their research explicitly involves race, ethnicity, or culture—will review JARS–REC to make informed decisions regarding methods for collaboration, data collection, and analysis. Although some of the primary recommendations in JARS–REC address current gaps in quantitative research approaches, many of the suggestions are relevant for scholars who conduct qualitative and mixed methods research as well. We recommend that all authors use JARS–REC in conjunction with JARS for quantitative research (JARS–Quant), qualitative research (JARS–Qual), and mixed-methods research (JARS–Mixed).
JARS–REC encourage authors to deeply consider how racial and ethnic variables impact research questions and design. We trust that scholars can find ways to integrate the standards that are most relevant to their specific study designs. Additionally, we recognize that scholars are only one piece of the larger publishing and scientific communication puzzle. Thus, editors and reviewers are encouraged to use JARS–REC standards as a tool to evaluate how researchers integrate race, ethnicity, and culture throughout a manuscript—from conceptual framework to sample reporting and data analysis. When reporting standards are not upheld, JARS–REC can be cited in the feedback provided to authors.
JARS–REC include standards for all stages of research and manuscript creation and provides guidance on key manuscript reporting elements, such as sample description and generalizability. The standards also include feedback and specific citations for common questions in the field, such as “When should I capitalize ‘Black’ or ‘White’ when describing my sample?” In many cases, the working group highlighted current APA recommendations, as well as current discourse among scholars in the field. For instance, in relation to capitalizing “Black” or “White,” the JARS–REC standards cite articles from some scholars who elect to lowercase “white” when referring to power systems to shift the focus away from white supremacy in both psychology and broader society (Singh, 2020). On the simpler side, we developed JARS–REC to encourage scholars to write manuscripts that accurately reflect the racial, ethnic, historical, and cultural aspects of their sample population. However, we also hope that these updated reporting standards will help researchers be more accountable and equitable in how they acknowledge and address race, ethnicity, and culture within APA journals and other behavioral science publishing outlets.
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