Conducting in-depth research entails much more than asking questions, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting the results. Editors, peer reviewers, government agencies, and funders also influence the research process. Researchers rely on these outside actors for publication, professional development, data frameworks and collection, and financial support.
At each step of the research process, these people and agencies act as gatekeepers, and their feedback can be rooted in systems that reflect structural and institutional racism and bias. In our recent report, Do No Harm Guide: Applying Equity Awareness in Data Visualization, we describe how researchers and data communicators can improve how they represent and talk about diversity across groups and communities. In this blog post, we focus on gatekeepers’ roles in the data communication ecosystem and how they can help promote more diverse, equitable, and inclusive research.