Guidance on requesting Diversity Data for Research & Knowledge Exchange
The R&KE Diversity Data Request process
Our Research Strategy 2022-2025 emphasises that “researchers succeed in an environment that is fair and supportive”. Diversity and inclusion (D&I) are key aspects of a fair and supportive research environment. For instance, our REF and demand management processes, research leave allocation or UofG-internal awards such as Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA) and Glasgow Knowledge Exchange Fund (GKEF) should be inclusive. They should also involve and benefit diverse groups of researchers and research professionals.
In this context we increasingly work with diversity data: data about individual identity characteristics like age, disability, gender, race or religion. Such diversity data can relate to anyone involved in research and knowledge exchange (RKE), for instance as applicants, reviewers, decision-makers.
Colleagues who lead on R&KE, either generally or in specific initiatives, can now request diversity data about cohorts of UofG staff. This guidance explains how to make those diversity data requests. The request process has been designed to:
- provide data that supports change and improvement;
- provide data that is specific and meaningful for the respective D&I questions and RKE activity;
- establish a uniform, cross-UofG process for requesting diversity data;
- balance the benefits and risks associated with collecting, managing and reporting diversity data.
Diversity data has positive potential. It can support our efforts to make research and knowledge exchange more inclusive, and to communicate our efforts internally and externally.
Diversity data is also highly sensitive information that, once known, can make us vulnerable. We are vulnerable in two ways: when we provide diversity data about ourselves and when we handle other people’s diversity data. To mitigate these vulnerabilities, the collection, processing, management and reporting of diversity data is subject to legal protection (General Data Protection Regulation) and UofG processes.
This guidance explains how our process for requesting diversity data balances benefit and vulnerability.
Contacts
- Access the People & OD Helpdesk to request diversity data.
- The Equality and Diversity Unit advises on existing data sets, availability of data and School/Service level equality monitoring practices.
- Professor Doris Eikhof, the Academic Lead on Inclusive Research Practice, advises on using data for action and improving inclusion in research.