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1. Purpose

This policy establishes binding standards for gender equity, disability inclusion, racial sensitivity, and inclusive language across all journals published under the authority of the University of Malawi (UNIMA). It reflects UNIMA's conviction that gender equity, disability inclusion, and inclusive language are not peripheral concerns but are central to the integrity, credibility, and impact of its academic journals. These standards strengthen research quality, expand the reach of UNIMA scholarship, and honour the University's commitment to serving all communities in Malawi and the region.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all academic journals published by or under the authority of the University of Malawi. The policy applies to:

• Editors-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and Section Editors;
• Peer reviewers (internal and external);
• Authors submitting manuscripts for consideration;
• Members of editorial advisory and governing boards; and
• Readers, commentators, and all other contributors.

3. Gender Equity in Editorial Governance and Publishing

3.1 Editorial Board Composition

The Editorial Manager shall ensure that all UNIMA journal editorial boards actively pursue gender-balanced representation. This means:

• Editorial boards shall aim for fair representation of all genders, both locally and in the broader region;
• New appointments to any editorial board shall consider gender equity as an explicit criterion alongside disciplinary expertise;
• The gender composition of each board shall be documented; and
• Particular attention shall be paid to the inclusion of women scholars from sub-Saharan Africa, in line with UNIMA's regional mandate.

3.2 Gender Equity in Peer Review

All UNIMA journals use a double-anonymous peer-review process wherever feasible. The Editorial Boards shall ensure that:

• Reviewer selection actively considers gender balance, reviewer pools must not be predominantly one gender;
• Manuscripts are evaluated solely on scholarly merit, methodological rigour, and relevance to the journal scope;
• Reviewer feedback must be objective, constructive, and respectful. Feedback containing gender bias, condescension, or discriminatory assumptions is strictly prohibited;
• Any reviewer demonstrating gender bias shall be removed from the reviewer pool, and the matter reported to the Editor-in-Chief; and
• Authors are not required to disclose gender identity, but may do so voluntarily for demographic tracking purposes.

3.3 Authorship and Research Participation

The editorial boards shall actively promote gender-equitable participation in scholarly publishing by:

• Encouraging submissions from women scholars at all career stages, including postgraduate researchers at UNIMA;
• Ensuring that special issues and thematic volumes reflect gender equity in invited contributions;
• Including contributorship statements in all published articles, transparently specifying individual author roles;
• Promoting interdisciplinary and cross-regional research, especially work addressing gender-based inequities in Malawi and Africa; and
• Welcoming submissions from scholars of all backgrounds, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, race, disability, or geographic location.

4. Disability Inclusion in Journal Processes

4.1 Institutional Commitment

UNIMA recognises that disability is not a personal deficit but a product of the interaction between impairment and social and institutional barriers. The editorial boards shall ensure that journal processes do not create unnecessary barriers for scholars with disabilities.

4.2 Accessible Submission and Review Processes

All UNIMA journals shall take the following steps to ensure accessibility:

• Manuscript submission guidelines shall be made available in accessible digital formats (e.g., screen-reader compatible documents);
• Authors with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in the submission or review process are encouraged to contact the Editorial Manager directly at editorial@unima.ac.mw.
• Extended submission deadlines and alternative submission formats may be granted as reasonable accommodations on a case-by-case basis; and
• Journal websites and submission portals managed by UNIMA shall comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) where technically feasible.

4.3 Disability in Research Reporting

Authors reporting on disability, impairment, or functional limitation in their manuscripts must adhere to the following standards:

• Use 'impairment' to refer to an injury, illness, or condition causing or likely to cause a loss or difference in physical or mental functioning;
• Use 'disability' to refer to the loss or limitation of opportunities resulting from the interaction of impairment with social and environmental barriers—not as a synonym for impairment;
• Adopt person-first language by default (e.g., 'person with a disability') unless participants have expressed a preference for identity-first language (e.g., 'disabled person');
• Avoid offensive or outdated terminology including: 'the disabled', 'the handicapped', 'wheelchair-bound', 'suffers from', 'victim of', or 'afflicted with';
• Use 'people without disabilities' rather than 'normal people', 'able-bodied people', or 'healthy people'; and
• Report disability alongside relevant socio-demographic factors and social determinants of health, employment, and education.

5. Inclusive Language Standards

5.1 Guiding Principles

Language shapes the boundaries of what is considered legitimate knowledge. Authors, reviewers, and editors across all UNIMA journals are expected to uphold the following principles:

• Use respectful, accurate, and non-discriminatory terminology when referring to individuals, communities, or groups;
• Avoid stereotypes, derogatory expressions, and outdated terminology in all scholarly discourse;
• Demonstrate cultural sensitivity—African contexts must not be flattened into global or Western assumptions;
• Avoid hierarchical or vague geopolitical terms such as 'the developing world', 'the Third World', or 'the West' without a precise definition;
• Write clearly and accessibly for an international and interdisciplinary audience, minimising unnecessary jargon; and
• Where African language terms are used, provide accurate translations or contextual explanations.

5.2 Gender-Inclusive Language

Authors and editors shall apply the following gender-inclusive language standards in all manuscripts and editorial communications:

• Use gender-neutral titles and roles (e.g., 'chairperson' not 'chairman'; 'police officer' not 'policeman'; 'layperson' not 'layman');
• Use the singular 'they/them' as a gender-inclusive pronoun where the subject's gender is unknown or non-binary;
• When referring to human research participants, use their self-identified pronouns and report how gender was determined in the Methods section;
• Clearly distinguish between 'sex' (biological and physiological characteristics) and 'gender' (social, cultural, environmental factors). Do not use these terms interchangeably; and
• Indicate where gender identity has been self-reported by participants using phrasing such as 'participants who identified as...'.

5.3 Reporting on Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Given the socially constructed and historically contested nature of racial and ethnic categories, manuscripts discussing race, ethnicity, or culture must:

• Provide a clear rationale in the Methods section for any racial or ethnic categorisation used;
• Recognise race as a social construct—avoid conflating social categories with biological markers or ancestry;
• In the Malawian context, be precise in distinguishing between ethnic identity, national origin, and ancestral heritage;
• Report race and ethnicity alongside other socio-demographic factors, including education, socioeconomic status, and access to services, where relevant;
• Avoid cultural generalisation — 'African communities' or 'Malawian culture' must not be presented as monolithic; and
• Allow participants to self-identify with multiple racial or ethnic categories where possible.

5.4 Language of Publication and Accessibility

• The primary language of publication for all UNIMA journals is English.
• Papers in African Bantu languages are encouraged for the Africa Journal of Religion and Culture, Malawi Journal of Social Sciences, and the Journal of Humanities, and may be accepted across all journals where feasible.
• Manuscripts may be returned to authors with requests to revise language that does not meet these standards, without prejudice to their scholarly merit.

6. Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The editorial boards will be responsible for implementing this policy. Specific responsibilities are summarised in the table below:

7. Policy Review

The policy will be reviewed from time to time or as developments in publication ethics require. Any revisions will be communicated to all journal editors and made publicly available on the UNIMA website.