Position statement: research and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in rural health journals

It’s time to plant a flag in the White soil of academic journal publishing and declare, ‘This discourse includes the cultural voices of Indigenous Peoples’. Indigenous Peoples* are almost invisible as academic authors in rural health journals. Occasionally that indigeneity may be deduced through the institutional or organisational affiliation statements, or in the acknowledgements, or in the text of articles. Too frequently, it is not discernible in any way. In essence, Indigenous cultural identity is suppressed by the conventions of academic publishing. This sees author and subject credibility resting on Western views of provenance, including institutional affiliation, college membership, educational qualifications, and disciplinary background. This research colonialism reflects a power imbalance that must end.