Publication Policy

The following policy applies to all manuscripts that use existing PRAN data.

  1. All local principal investigators (PI) are invited to submit proposals for manuscripts using PRAN data. Proposals should be brief (1-2 pages) and sent to the chair of the Publication Committee for review.
  2. Proposals should contain a working title, description of parameters that will be examined (e.g., all peripheral nerve catheters, epidurals in neonates, etc.), a clearly stated study question and hypothesis, a data analysis plan and include all proposed co-authors and the proposed journal of submission. The Publication Committee will provide a decision within two (2) weeks.
  3. Multicenter, prospective, randomized trials that are organized by PRAN PI’s with other PRAN investigators should also submit a proposal as outlined above, but due to potential complexities of design may require additional consultation and oversight. Because these proposals may require additional data collection that is outside of the current PRAN parameters, and might involve the collection of identifiers, more time may be required for planning and implementation.
  4. Co-authors may be faculty/residents/fellows at a PRAN institution, but the local PI must be either first or last author. After the senior author, the author list should end with “and the PRAN Investigators”.
  5. All manuscripts should include an appendix that lists all participating centers and PI’s that provided data during the specified data collection period. An updated list will be maintained by Axio.
  6. Upon approval, pertinent data will be provided by Axio to the local PI.
  7. Whenever possible, data analysis should be done using the original data (i.e., Excel spreadsheets) as opposed to aggregate reports.
  8. It should be emphasized that data is observational, and aggregate data is de-identified, so there is no way to statistically examine heterogeneity among centers. Therefore, most data can be appropriately reported with simple descriptive statistics and confidence intervals.
  9. If the author would like further information on a particular complication, he/she can send a request with the subject ID number to Axio. Axio will then contact the PRAN center for more details, and provide them to the author without identifying the site where the complication took place.
  10. Completed manuscripts must be sent to the Publication Committee prior to journal submission. Their brief review will focus on content, analytic rigor, and consistent description of the methods. The Publication Committee will complete this review within two (2) weeks.
  11. If the journal requests a revision, copies of the reviews and editor’s letter should be sent to the Publications Committee. Similarly, a copy of the acceptance letter should also be sent.
  12. Should a manuscript be rejected, the Publication Committee must be notified, and should receive copies of the reviews and editor’s letter. The Committee must be reconsulted prior to submission of a revised manuscript to an alternate journal and reapprove both the manuscript and the journal of submission.
  13. Manuscripts not approved by the Publication Committee may not under any circumstances be submitted for publication or electronically disseminated.

The PRAN Steering Committee

Date of Approval:
July 18, 2014
Date of Distribution:
August 11, 2014