Responsibilities of Writing Group Members

CHS Sponsor Responsibilities:

• Provide Study/data expertise and guidance.
• Provide explanation and clarification of CHS policies.
• Provide access to the internal CHS website.
• Provide a brief introductory memo for first-time authors to accompany proposal.
• Ensure that the author has a Data and Materials Distribution Agreement (DMDA) and paper proposal on file before receiving any study data.
• Participate as a co-author on any paper he/she sponsors; review manuscripts prior to P&P submissions, ensure that CHS is described correctly in the paper.
• Ensure that the paper is not submitted to a journal until approved by P&P, the Steering Committee and NHLBI.

Writing Chair Responsibilities:

The writing group chair oversees all phases of manuscript preparation, from conception through publication. He/she is required to:

• Follow-up with additional authors nominated by CHS.
• Notify co-authors when the analysis and writing begin.
• Prepare manuscript outlines.
• Assign tasks to co-authors and ensure that deadlines are met.
• Ensure that the manuscript has the approval of all co-authors before submitting the penultimate draft to the P&P Committee.
• Determine the order of authorship on the manuscript based on the effort and contribution made by each author in preparation of the manuscript.
• Recommend a journal to which the manuscript will be submitted.
• Handle publication-related correspondence with co-authors, the Coordinating Center, the P&P Committee, NHLBI, and journal editors.

Co-author Responsibilities:

Co-authors are responsible for the timely completion of tasks assigned by the chair and are expected to actively participate in the preparation of the manuscript. If a member does not accomplish the tasks assigned to him/her and has not contributed to the manuscript, he/she may be removed from the writing group. The chair must send a letter to the P&P Committee formally requesting the removal of an inactive member from the writing group.

Related Links

General Guidelines for Writing Groups
Nomination of Writing Group Members
Withdrawal Policy and Modifying Writing Groups