What the study found
The study found both an over-reliance on Western perspectives and inconsistent reporting of participant sample characteristics across five areas of psychology. Participants from Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa made up 8.7% of samples combined.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that a unified standard of reporting would help readers more easily see how findings may generalise beyond the people actually sampled. They also link this to the challenges of representation in psychology and the value of interdisciplinary perspectives.
What the researchers tested
The researchers systematically examined the Methods sections of five journals in 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
The study found that reporting of participants' gender, race, socioeconomic status indicators, and education varied substantially across psychology areas. It also found different norms in the use of students and crowd-sourcing platforms, alongside the low combined representation of participants from Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
What to keep in mind
The abstract only describes journals published by the British Psychological Society in a three-year period, so the findings apply to that set of articles and samples. It also does not provide detailed limitations beyond the scope of the review.
Key points
- The study reviewed 661 articles and 1,293 samples from five psychology journals.
- Participants from Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa accounted for 8.7% of samples combined.
- Reporting of gender, race, socioeconomic status, and education differed across psychology areas.
- The use of students and crowd-sourcing platforms also followed different norms across areas.
- The authors call for a unified standard of reporting.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Psychology articles showed uneven sample reporting and Western overrepresentation
- 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
- DOI:
- 10.1002/ijop.70168
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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