Title: A comparative analysis of reading list author and student demographics

Author: Sarah Gregory

Theme: SoTL Case Studies

Decolonising the curriculum is a key topic in bringing about more accessible and inclusive classrooms and learning environments. Diversifying reading lists is one way in which the decolonising of the curriculum process can begin, and thoughtful consideration of how well the reading list represents current student demographics is imperative to this. This work looked at the student demographics for the MSc Clinical Trials in 2021/2022 and the author demographics from the elective Principles of Clinical Trial Management (PCTM) course reading list for the same year, with results of the two narratively synthesised. The data showed a diverse, majority female, student body representing 37 different nationalities. Authors included on the reading list were majority female, majority Caucasian and were affiliated to institutions in 19 different countries. There were notable gaps between the student and author demographics, with a number of countries and continents of student residence or nationality not represented by authors in the reading list. Key learnings from this work will be the targeted identification of new readings to bring in authors from currently underrepresented geographical regions, as well as the potential to apply this process to other courses within the MSc Clinical Trials.