OM t of c.iii - Vision Research Coordinating Center - Washington ...

2/22/96 Study Organization page 16-9
16.7 Publicity
All publicity and press releases for the CLEK Study are to have prior
approval of the Executive Committee. Study investigators who are approached
by the press for information concerning the Study should refer these inquiries to
the CLEK Executive Committee.
It is recognized that when information is sought from an individual
investigator by the local press in his own community, it is sometimes necessary
or desirable for the investigator to handle the request him/herself. In such an
event the participating investigator should speak as an individual and not as the
official representative of the CLEK Study Group. This fact should be made clear
to the press; however, the information given out should be accurate and should
reflect the general policy and views of the group. The Study Chairman should be
informed of all local presentations to the press and be sent a copy of the material
published.
16.8 Editorial Policy
16.8.1 Publication of Study Design, Methods, and Findings
The Executive Committee will review all written reports prepared for
publication. All reports from the CLEK Study will list the Collaborative
Evaluation of Keratoconus (CLEK) Study Group as the last author. The primary
endpoint paper and selected other major papers will list only the CLEK Study
Group as the primary author in a manner consistent with the publication policy
of the selected journal. Other publications will list the primary author and coauthors
and the CLEK Study Group. All professional participants of CLEK,
including those at the central units and Participating Clinics, will be listed at the
end of each paper and are considered as authors or contributors. In major papers,
all study personnel, past and present, will be listed with the approval of the
Clinic Principal Investigator for whom they have worked.
Conflicts regarding authorship are resolved by the Executive Committee.
General guidelines for authorship are: active participation in the production of
the manuscript or other important contribution. Authorship rights are not
available for membership on the writing committee only, use of data only, or
signing the copyright form. If the timeline for a paper has expired with no
substantial evidence of progress, authorship rights are assumed to have expired.
The Coordinating Center will contact the primary author, and leadership of the
paper will be negotiated. The Executive Committee will be informed of changes
in lead authorship. An individual may be given an acknowledgment for reading
and providing critical comments on the manuscript. An investigator at the