Citing Sources

Seeking out and including the work of scholars with marginalized identities (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, from the Global South, women) lifts their voices and can help their careers.  How frequently a scholar's research is cited can be a factor used in hiring, promotion, and funding decisions.  White men, who are cited most frequently, tend to benefit the most from this system, but you can be a force for change by making it a practice to cite more diversely.  Reading and referencing the research of scholars with marginalized identities can also improve your own work by incorporating a variety of perspectives and knowledge that is more representative of the diverse and interconnected world that we live in.

This is often a two-step process that begins with identifying scholars working in your area of research who have a marginalized identity, then using the name or names you find do an author search in Discover or another other relevant library database to find articles or books that they've written. Below are some suggestions for finding diverse scholars.

(A note about names: If you already have an article or book on your topic with an author who you think may have a marginalized identity, it's a good idea to confirm this rather than guessing by their name alone, which often is not a definitive indicator of race, gender, ethnicity, or nationality. Doing a web search on a combination of the author's name and the name of the institution with which they're affiliated - usually a college, university, or research institute - can be helpful for finding out more about the author and how they identify.)

Databases

Some databases have filters that allow you to search for sources by geographic area, which can be useful for identifying the work of researchers from the Global South. While what's meant by this is usually the geographic area that the article or report is about, there's a higher chance that one or more of the authors is from the geographic area covered.

Directories

While not comprehensive, there are some directories of scientists and other researchers with marginalized identities.  A couple of web sites curated by journalists looking to diversify their expert sources offer links to such directories:

College and university web sites

College and university academic department websites usually list their faculty members and may include photos and descriptive profiles for each professor, which can be helpful for determining how they identify and more specifics about their area(s) of research. Try searching the web using terms that describe your area of research interest (e.g., "microbiology") and the term "faculty."  If you have a specific school in mind, you can add that to the search.

Professional societies

Sometimes also known as affinity organizations, there are many professional organizations for scholars with marginalized identities. These don't usually offer public lists of their members, but some hold conferences or produce publications that offer ways to learn about the work of diverse scholars.

Social media

Social media is be another way to discover and follow scholars with marginalized identities.  The following site include lists of hashtags that you can try searching for in social media platforms. Note that many of the tags listed may link directly to X (formerly Twitter), but you should also try looking for them in other platforms like Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc.

Networking

Ask your professors

Sometimes the information we need can be found by asking other people - in this case, people you already know who are working in your area of research: your professors!  As part of their work, faculty attend conferences, collaborate with other scholars, and keep up on developments in their field.  They may be able to suggest the names of some researchers to follow.

Attend conferences

If you have the opportunity, attending a conference yourself is a good way to learn more about - and possibly meet - the scholars working in your field of study.  Ask your professors for the names of conferences that might be relevant to your research interests.