AMA Manual Updates Guidance on Reporting of Race and Ethnicity in Medical and Science Journals

by Linda Kossoff •

What can be done to encourage fairness, equity, consistency, and clarity in use and reporting of race and ethnicity in medical and science journals?

BOTTOM LINE

Language and terminology must be accurate, clear, and precise, and must reflect fairness, equity, and consistency in use and reporting of race and ethnicity.

BACKGROUND: In 2021, the AMA Manual of Style Committee released guidelines in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) for the reporting of race and ethnicity in medical and science journals. The guidance has since been updated and will appear in the manual’s Inclusive Language section.

COMMENT: This editorial provides recommendations and suggestions to “encourage fairness, equity, consistency, and clarity in use and reporting of race and ethnicity in medical and science journals.” The authors support the contention that race and ethnicity are social constructs with limited utility in understanding medical research, practice, or policy; however, the terms can be useful “as a lens through which to study and view racism and disparities and inequities in health, health care, and medical practice, education, and research.” This updated guidance will be added to the Inclusive Language section (Section 11.12) of the AMA Manual of Style as a dedicated subsection on Race and Ethnicity (Section 11.12.3). There are additional subsections that address reporting concerns and preferred nomenclature for sex and gender, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, and persons with diseases, disorders, or disabilities. Inclusive language supports diversity and conveys respect, and these resources should be used to guide our future clinical, educational, and research practices in otolaryngology. —Sarah Bowe, MD

STUDY DESIGN: Editorial.

SETTING: American Medical Association, Chicago, Ill.

SYNOPSIS: Responding to feedback on their suggested guidelines, the updated guidance is based on the contention that race and ethnicity are social constructs with limited utility in understanding medical research, practice, or policy. The authors emphasized the need for medical journal content to be accurate, clear, and precise in language and terminology, and reflective of fairness, equity, and consistency in the use and reporting of race and ethnicity. The guidance defines commonly used terms and acknowledges the changing nature of certain terms and definitions. Among the relevant items: concerns and controversies addressed in healthcare and heritage; social determinants of health; additional socioeconomic, structural, institutional, cultural, and demographic factors; reporting of race and ethnicity in research articles; use of racial and ethnic collective or umbrella terms (such as “minorities” and “multiethnic”); definitions of terms; key concerns, sensitivities, and controversies; demographics reporting; and specifics regarding usage of forms of speech and capitalizations. Key goals of the guidance are to reduce unintentional bias in literature and provide context when reporting on racial and ethnic disparities and inequities.

CITATION: Flanagin A, Frey T, Christiansen SL. Updated guidance on the reporting of race and ethnicity in medical and science journals. JAMA. 2021;326:621-627