1.1.2.1 Cochrane Library Oversight Committee

This section was added by the Secretariat on 15 March 2011.

Remit

To support the Editor in Chief’s editorial independence by providing a mechanism for avoiding or resolving disputes about the content of The Cochrane Library or any editorial positions taken by the Editor in Chief in respect to the Library that may arise between the Editor in Chief and the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group, other Cochrane groups or individuals, or the publishers of The Cochrane Library.

Accountability

This is an independent committee.

Chair/Deputy Chair

The Chair must be selected by the members from among their number, and serve a term of three years.  (The initial Chair was appointed by the Steering Group, and may stand for re-election after one year.) The Deputy Chair must be selected by the members from among their number. (The initial Deputy Chair was appointed by the Steering Group, and may stand for re-election after one year.)

Membership

Ideally, the committee should be comprised as follows:

-          Not more than half of its members should be members of the Collaboration.

-          Not more than half of its members should be based in the UK/North America.

-          At least a third of its members should be from developing countries.

-          Not more than half of its members should be medically qualified.

-          There should be at least one consumer.

-          There should be at least one former journal editor.

-          There should be some members with legal, ethical, statistical experience.

-          There should be roughly equal numbers of men and women.

Appointment of members

1)      Members of the Oversight Committee should have experience in scientific publication or editorial policy, be capable of independence of thought, and be prepared to act in the best interests of The Cochrane Library.

2)      Initial members were selected by the Steering Group and the Editor in Chief, both of whom had the power of veto for any individual proposed.

3)      Subsequent members will be proposed by the members of the Oversight Committee. The Steering Group and the Editor in Chief have the power of veto for any individual proposed.

4)      Expression of interests (addressing the Terms of Reference) for membership will be sought from the Collaboration and suitable non-Collaboration members via e-mail and personal contact. The Oversight Committee will inform the Collaboration via the Secretariat of the name(s) of the proposed new Member(s), together with a short biography or CV, and the proposal will be put forward to the Collaboration’s Operations and Finance Committee (OFC), of which the Editor in Chief is a member, for ratification.The Editor in Chief alone or other members will have the power of veto, but if a veto is effected by the OFC, it must be a majority decision. No reason need be given to the unsuccessful candidate.

5)      Members serve a single term of three years, with extension for a further two years at the discretion of the Chair.

6)      Up to six additional members.

7)      The Editor in Chief.

Current membership

Chair:
Richard Smith: Former Editor of the British Medical Journal, and Director, United Health Chronic Disease Initiative.

Deputy Chair:
Magne Nylenna, Norway: Former editor of the Norwegian Medical Journal and Head of the Norwegian National Library of Health.

Members:
David Tovey, Editor in Chief, The Cochrane Library, The Cochrane Collaboration.
Lisa Bero, USA: Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Health Policy, University of California, San Francisco.
Godwin Busuttil, UK: Barrister.
Cindy Farquhar, New Zealand, Postgraduate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Auckland.
Tracey Pérez Koehlmoos, Bangladesh: Head of the Health and Family Planning Systems Programme, ICDDR, B (formerly International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh).
David Moher, Canada: Clinical Epidemiologist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and University of Ottawa.

Meetings and communication

Meetings to be held twice a year.
Communication via e-mail discussion list.
Written report to the CCSG twice a year at its face-to-face meetings.