ArticleProceedings. Biological sciences2020
A scientist like me: demographic analysis of biology textbooks reveals both progress and long-term lags.
Article in Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- Student Perceptions of Obstacles in Science Careers are Not Altered by Scientist Stories of Challenges.CBE life sciences education · 2026Article
- Microbiology students' relatability to scientists is impacted by scientists' identities and exposure to brief scientist highlights during class time.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2026Article
- DataVersify: A Framework for Data Literacy Instruction Featuring Scientist Stories.Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Student Perceptions on the Value of an Ideologically Aware Curriculum.CBE life sciences education · 2025Article
- Highlighting Counterstereotypical Scientists in Undergraduate Life Science Courses.CBE life sciences education · 2025Article
- More than a token photo: humanizing scientists enhances student engagement.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2025Article
- A framework for training graduate students and campus communities in inclusive teaching.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2024Article
- Low-stakes Scientist Spotlight Assignment Demonstrates High Value and Multiple Effects for Introductory Biology Students.CBE life sciences education · 2024Article
- "All of us are capable, and all of us can be scientists." The impact of Scientist Spotlight assignments with undergraduates in physiology courses.Advances in physiology education · 2024Article
- "Scientists are People too": Biology Students Relate More to Scientists When They are Humanized in Course Materials.CBE life sciences education · 2024Article
- Breaking Stereotypes: How Undergraduates' Life Experiences of Scientists Shape their Scopes of Possibility.CBE life sciences education · 2024Article
- How Do Students Critically Evaluate Outdated Language That Relates to Gender in Biology?CBE life sciences education · 2024Article
- Teaching at the intersection of science and society: An activity on healthcare disparities.Biology methods & protocols · 2024Article
- Biology Instructors See Value in Discussing Controversial Topics but Fear Personal and Professional Consequences.CBE life sciences education · 2023Article
- Scientist Spotlights in Secondary Schools: Student Shifts in Multiple Measures Related to Science Identity after Receiving Written Assignments.CBE life sciences education · 2023Article
- "No matter what your story is, there is a place for you in science": Students' Ability to Relate to Scientists Positively Shifts after Scientist Spotlight Assignments, Especially for First-Generation Students and Women.CBE life sciences education · 2023Article
- I am a scientist: Overcoming biased assumptions around diversity in science through explicit representation of scientists in lectures.PloS one · 2023Article
- Improving biology faculty diversity through a co-hiring policy and faculty agents of change.PloS one · 2023Article
- Six Principles for Embracing Gender and Sexual Diversity in Postsecondary Biology Classrooms.Bioscience · 2022Article
- Gender of Authors in Laboratory Animal Medicine and Science in 2 Peer-Reviewed U. S. Journals.Comparative medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Textbooks shape teaching and learning in introductory biology and highlight scientists as potential role models who are responsible for significant discoveries. We explore a potential demographic mismatch between the scientists featured in textbooks and the students who use textbooks to learn core concepts in biology. We conducted a demographic analysis by extracting hundreds of human names from common biology textbooks and assessing the binary gender and race of featured scientists. We found that the most common scientists featured in textbooks are white men. However, women and scientists of colour are increasingly represented in contemporary scientific discoveries. In fact, the proportion of women highlighted in textbooks has increased in lockstep with the proportion of women in the field, indicating that textbooks are matching a changing demographic landscape. Despite these gains, the scientists portrayed in textbooks are not representative of their target audience-the student population. Overall, very few scientists of colour were highlighted, and projections suggest it could take multiple centuries at current rates before we reach inclusive representation. We call upon textbook publishers to expand upon the scientists they highlight to reflect the diverse population of learners in biology.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.