From February to April 2022, the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory  worked with the University of Southampton and the British Journal of Learning Disabilities on a project exploring inclusive peer review.

People with learning disabilities are routinely excluded from research processes and the Research Voices Citizens’ Jury set priorities for inclusive research that included the process of publication and dissemination.

Building on the learning from the Research Voices work, this project applies an adapted Citizens’ Jury method to investigate the opportunities of inclusive academic peer review with people with learning disabilities.

A group of people with learning disabilities from England, Scotland and Wales met online and were supported to understand more about research and the role of peer review. The group heard from a panel of expert witnesses with experience of the peer review process before deliberating and forming recommendations for the future of inclusive peer review. Recommendations, questions, and proposed processes generated through this work were taken forward for consideration by the British Journal of Learning Disabilities.

In May 2024, the group published their findings from this project, which you can find at the British Journal of Learning Disabilities. Henderson, A., Cassidy, J., Croydon, A., & Nind, M. (2024). Inclusive peer review: Reflections on an adapted citizens' jury with people with learning disabilities. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 52, 666–675. Link below. https://doi.org/10.1111/bld.12603 

We hope this project will spark a wider conversation about how best to involve people with learning disabilities in the peer review process.