What the study found
The study found an over-reliance on Western perspectives in participant samples across five areas of psychology. It also found substantial variation in how participant characteristics were reported across areas of psychology.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors say this matters because of the challenges of representation in psychology and the importance of interdisciplinary perspectives. They conclude that a unified reporting standard would help readers more readily assess how findings may generalise beyond the people actually sampled.
What the researchers tested
The researchers examined the Methods sections of five journals covering social, health, clinical, developmental, and general psychological science. The journals were published by the British Psychological Society between January 2021 and December 2023, covering 661 articles and 1,293 samples.
What worked and what didn't
Participants from Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa made up 8.7% of samples combined. Reporting of gender, race, socioeconomic status indicators, and education varied across psychology areas, and there were different norms for using students and crowd-sourcing platforms.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not provide details on study limitations beyond the scope of the journals and time period examined. The summary available here is limited to the information reported in the title and abstract.
Key points
- Five psychology journal areas were examined: social, health, clinical, developmental, and general psychological science.
- Across the sample, participants from Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa accounted for 8.7% combined.
- Reporting of participant gender, race, socioeconomic status, and education varied across psychology areas.
- The study found different norms for using students and crowd-sourcing platforms.
- The authors call for a unified standard of reporting participant samples.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Psychology journals varied in reporting participant characteristics
- Authors:
- Leah Petrutiu, Megan E. Birney, R. Cooke, Simon John Stewart
- Institutions:
- Birmingham City University, University College Birmingham, University of Birmingham, University of Staffordshire, University of Staffordshire, University of Staffordshire
- Publication date:
- 2026-01-28
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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