Perceived and observed biases within scientific communities: a case study in movement ecology

Who conducts biological research, where they do it and how results are disseminated vary among geographies and identities. Identifying and documenting these forms of bias by research communities is a critical step towards addressing them. We documented perceived and observed biases in movement ecology, a rapidly expanding sub-discipline of biology, which is strongly underpinned by fieldwork and technology use. We surveyed attendees before an international conference to assess a baseline within-discipline perceived bias (uninformed perceived bias). We analysed geographic patterns in Movement Ecology articles, finding discrepancies between the country of the authors' affiliation and study site location, related to national economics. We analysed race-gender identities of USA biology researchers (the closest to our sub-discipline with data available), finding that they differed from national demographics. Finally, we discussed the quantitatively observed bias at the conference, to assess within-discipline perceived bias informed with observational data (informed perceived bias). Although the survey indicated most conference participants as bias-aware, conversations only covered a subset of biases. We discuss potential causes of bias (parachute-science, fieldwork accessibility), solutions and the need to evaluate mitigatory action effectiveness. Undertaking data-driven analysis of bias within sub-disciplines can help identify specific barriers and move towards the inclusion of a greater diversity of participants in the scientific process.

University of Amsterdam
University of Western Australia
University of Oxford
Fondazione Edmund Mach
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Monash University
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Swiss Ornithological Institute
University of the Virgin Islands
Stockholm University
University of Sherbrooke
University of Konstanz
University Centre Svalbard (UNIS)
University of New Brunswick
Bay Area Environm Res Inst
National Biodiversity Future Center
Griffith University
Marine Biological Association United Kingdom
Radboud University Nijmegen
Yale University
Liverpool John Moores University
National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
Inst Conservacao Anim Silvestres
NERC National Oceanography Centre
University of Michigan System
Smithsonian Institution
AgroParisTech
Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD)
University of Washington
Senckenberg Biodiversitat & Klima- Forschungszentrum (BiK-F)
Goethe University Frankfurt
Australian National University
University of Haifa
University of British Columbia
Lund University
Universite de Montreal
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
University of Minnesota System
University System of Georgia
University of California System
Max Planck Society
State University System of Florida
University of Helsinki
Universite PSL
Harvard University