Research Environments and Team Cultures
NOTE: This guide is in development
Introduction
With diversity comes the responsibility of providing a safe, supportive and respectful workplace and research environments in which team members at every career stage feel safe to participate and have equitable opportunities for professional development. The purpose of this guide is to share practical resources for creating positive, inclusive, and equitable research environments and team cultures.
Key considerations
- Inclusion
- Accommodations and Accessibility
- Equitable mentorship, training, and access to professional development opportunities
Inclusion
Inclusion means that all team members are valued, respected and have equitable access to opportunities. In an inclusive environment, everyone can contribute to research excellence in an environment free from barriers and biases.
Inclusive Behaviours Guide
Newcastle University
Newcastle University has created an EDI Toolkit for Researchers. The Inclusive Behaviours Guide, as part of the toolkit, outlines 10 practical ways to be more inclusive and role model inclusive behaviour.
Guide on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Terminology
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada’s guide on key terms and concepts related to equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion includes definitions, notes, usage examples and cross-references to terms as applicable.
Responding to Microaggressions
Disarming Racial Microaggressions: Microintervention Strategies for Targets, White Allies, and Bystanders. (2019). American Psychologist, 74(1), 128-142
This article introduces a strategic framework for addressing microaggressions offering concrete action steps and dialogues that targets, allies, and bystanders can implement.
Ten Simple Rules for Building an Anti-Racist Lab
Bala Chaudhary, V., & Berhe, A. A. (2020). Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab. PLoS computational biology, 16(10), e1008210-e1008210
This open access paper presents ten rules to help labs develop antiracist policies and actions in an effort to promote racial and ethnic diversity, equity, and inclusion in science and academic workplaces.
Growing a Healthy Lab
Weir, K. (2022). Growing a healthy lab. Monitor on Psychology, 53(5)
This article describes why lab cultures matter and offers suggestions for Principal Investigators on creating healthy lab environments.
Creating an Inclusive Research Lab with Student Onboarding Materials
Hernandez, I. A., Smith, J. L., Villodas, M. T., & Thoman, D. B. (2023). Creating an inclusive research lab with student onboarding materials. 2(4), 197-198
This article describes the utility of onboarding materials for creating positive environments. It describes the benefits to new research lab students and the team.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Research Teams and Training: Promising Practices and Resources Handbook
University of Toronto, Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (May 2024)
The handbook provides a range of practices for advancing EDI in research on an ongoing basis. The ‘Inclusion’ section provides practical examples to build a supportive, respectful, and welcoming research and training environment that fosters a sense of belonging for all team members.
This resource is accessible via UTORid.
Accessibility and Accommodations
Some team members may need modifications to their work environment, schedule or duties to perform effectively. Members may need accommodation due to a disability, religious beliefs and/or caregiving/family responsibilities.
Accessibility Guide
Newcastle University
This guide explains why accessibility is important and what can be done to create accessible content and spaces.
Supervision Guidelines for Faculty – Section 7: When a Student May Need Accommodations
University of Toronto, School of Graduate Studies
University of Toronto guidelines for supervisors on student accommodations. This page describes Accommodations vs. Time-Limited Academic Adjustments and resources available to help support students with disabilities.
Best Practices for Supervisors & Instructors of Graduate Students with Family Responsibilities
University of Toronto, School of Graduate Studies
A description of best practices for supervisors and instructors of students with family responsibilities and includes a list of University of Toronto specific resources.
Demystifying Academic Accommodations
University of Toronto
This document provides instructors with practical information and resources about accommodating students with disabilities at the University of Toronto.
Ten Steps to Equity: Making Fieldwork Accessible
Alexis-Martin, B. (2023). Ten Steps to Equity: Making Fieldwork Accessible. Times Higher Education
This article describes ten strategies to ensure disabled students and academics are included by field-based disciplines.
Inclusivity for All: How to Make Your Research Group Accessible
Levine, A. G. (2020). Inclusivity for all: How to make your research group accessible. Science
This article describes ways of working towards providing an accessible space for science research.
Allyship
Allyship, actively supporting and advocating for colleagues from marginalized or minoritized groups, helps create a more inclusive environment.
Allyship and Inclusion
University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
This resource describes the qualities of allies and how we can act as allies to one another.
A Guide to Allyship
Association of American Medical Colleges
This toolkit, from the Association of American Medical Colleges, provides foundational information on what allyship is, how to act as an ally and barriers to becoming an ally. It focuses on allyship in relation to gender equity, but many of the ideas described are applicable to allyship with other group identities.
Allyship Guide
Newcastle University
This Newcastle University guide describes what it means to be an ally and gives examples of how to be an ally to others.
Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Nursing: The Trevor Project’s Toolkit
Geared to health sciences and nursing education and research, this guide is an introductory educational resource that covers a wide range of topics and best practices on how to support transgender and nonbinary people.
Attention Men: How to Be an Ally
Association for Women in Science
A description of the role of men as allies and why they are important in STEM.
Hidden Curriculum
The hidden curriculum refers to unspoken rules, expectations, and social norms that are not explicitly stated but are considered essential for success. Awareness of the hidden curriculum in research environments and their implications for all team members is necessary for creating an inclusive, equitable environment.
Disrupt and Demystify the Unwritten Rules of Graduate School
Richardson, C., Serrano, A., Gorski, G., Price, A. N., & Zimmer, M. (2021). Disrupt and demystify the unwritten rules of graduate school. Nature Geoscience, 14(8), 538-539
This article describes the existence of hidden academic norms and expectations that can be exclusionary and hostile for individuals with marginalized and intersecting identities.
Practical Strategies to Mentor around Hidden Curriculum Pathways in Engineering
Villanueva Alarcon, I. (2022). Practical Strategies to Mentor around Hidden Curriculum Pathways in Engineering. 2022 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2022-, 1–7
This paper provides practical tips on how individuals navigate hidden curriculum in engineering.
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EDI Training
Resources for team members on creating inclusive, equitable and safe environments.
Unconscious Bias Education Modules
Toronto Initiative for Diversity & Excellence (TIDE)
TIDE’s education module series introduces the concept of unconscious bias, how it manifests in processes and procedures and how academic units can adopt more inclusive practices.
The modules have been designed for everyone seeking education about unconscious bias and how it can affect assessments, decisions, and inclusive climates. They may be used as a self-guided education tool, a resource for committees to review prior to assessment activities or to facilitate discussions within groups.
EDI Education Calendar
University of Toronto, The Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture (PSEC)
A calendar with the wide range of EDI trainings/workshops available to the University of Toronto community across the tri-campus offered by the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office, the Sexual and Gender Diversity Office and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Office and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives.
