SCOPE - Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment

Up-dated 19 May 2005

Guidelines for SCOPE Mainstream Projects

This type of project accomplishes synthesis through a series of workshops and related activities. These thorough analyses of environmental issues typically last several years and involve many participants from different countries.

We identify three phases in the development of a typical SCOPE Mainstream Project:

preparation and development of the proposal;

implementation of the synthesis effort; and

communication of its results.

All projects are approved by the SCOPE Executive Committee and are subject to suggestions and modifications. The Secretariat assists the scientists on various aspects of project development and provides assistance in proposal preparation.

SCOPE Secretariat, 51 bd de Montmorency, 75016, Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 45250498, Fax: +33 1 42881466
Email secretariat@icsu-scope.org
The SCOPE website provides additional useful information:
http://www.icsu-scope.org/

Phase I – Preparation

Preliminary project proposals are usually submitted by individuals, SCOPE National Committees or international ICSU Unions and Committees affiliated to SCOPE to the Executive Committee through the Paris Secretariat.

Following approval in principle of this preliminary proposal, the Secretary General of SCOPE circulates it to all Members requesting comments to reinforce the objectives of the project, seeking identification of specialists who might be usefully involved, and inviting offers to convene meetings at international or national level.

Finalisation of the proposal takes on board comments received, and whenever possible, the Executive Committee convenes an ad hoc scoping meeting to refine the project plan.

The project plan must contain:

the background of the proposed topic for study, including other relevant international activities;

specific objectives;

a detailed blueprint for the project including:

workshop programmes, indicating focus issues;

anticipated final products and outputs, and in particular, a draft outline of the final synthesis publication, as well as any other publications which may or may not be part of the SCOPE monograph series (articles for scientific journals, summaries, popular volumes, other forms of information syntheses, educational programmes, etc.) workplan and schedule;

nominees for chairperson and scientific advisory committee members to conduct the project, including their respective CVs

a proposed budget (Budget Guidelines) including a list of potential donors who might provide financial support for the project.

The workplan and schedule must budget for activities before and after the workshop phase, and reserve appropriate money and time for the preparation, publication and circulation of the results. Advice concerning financial aspects should routinely be sought from the Executive Director.

Phase II - Implementation

Once the Executive Committee has approved the final project proposal, it appoints the chairperson and members (6-10 in number) of a Scientific Steering Committee (SAC). The SAC must involve

recognised experts in the topic;

scientists from several regions of the world;

experts from various disciplinary backgrounds;

due consideration of age and gender balance .

Duties of the SAC

The project chairperson and scientific steering committee are responsible for the conduct of the project and quality of the outputs. Their tasks include the selection of contributors, fundraising with assistance from the Executive Committee and the Secretariat, organization of workshops and other meetings, coordination of case studies if any, and preparation of the scientific publications resulting from the project. If warranted, the project chairperson and SAC can be assisted by a project officer who will be a junior scientist, preferably of post-doctoral level, recruited for the duration of the project (or a specific phase thereof).

Fundraising and Financial Administration

The Officers of SCOPE and the Executive Director, with the project chairperson, share the responsibility for approaching possible donors and funding agencies. The chairperson and members of the SAC are encouraged to seek commitments for assistance from national or local agencies. Fundraising with international agencies should be coordinated with SCOPE via consultation with the Executive Director.

Project documents may be adapted to follow the standard project document or application form of potential donors and agencies.

Project funds are normally administered by the Secretariat, unless other arrangements have been made. Expenditure that deviates from the budget estimates must be approved by the Executive Committee and Executive Director. The Executive Director will make special arrangements with the project chairperson or project officer for periodical financial reporting according to donor requirements.

SCOPE, as a scientific committee of ICSU, benefits from US tax exempt status. SCOPE can therefore be recognized by the USA Internal Revenue Service as exempt from federal income tax, and is accordingly a proper recipient of grants made by the United States foundations and other charities.

Clusters

SCOPE projects are grouped in clusters that reflect shared concerns, and projects in a given cluster will normally address inter-related topics. The cluster co-ordinators appointed by the Executive Committee have a significant responsibility concerning all scientific aspects of the projects in the cluster, although the direction of projects remains the responsibility of the chairpersons and SACs.

Workshops

SCOPE mainstream projects develop over a few years through a series of workshops, each focusing either on a specific set of issues or on a given region of the world. The workshops will lead to a final synthesis meeting. Topical working groups may also be convened. Regional workshops can be linked to training seminars aimed at raising awareness among young scientists and practitioners in the region.

The SCOPE website can be used to post material related to workshops, or in later editorial phases of project development.

Reporting

The chairperson reports in writing at least once a year on the progress of the project to the Executive Committee and/or the General Assembly, recalling the project objectives and contents, summarizing activities implemented since the last report and the progress accomplished so far, stressing the successes of the project but also the difficulties met, highlighting new plans for the future and any outstanding issues.

These reports will also be used as the basis for the outline posted on the SCOPE website. Lists of participants at all meetings should be sent to the Secretariat.

The chairperson should attend, at the project expense, the SCOPE General Assembly and Open Executive Committee meetings to report in person on the project and answer questions of the SCOPE Members.

Phase III – Communication

Results of a SCOPE project take many different forms – mid-term results (articles in scientific journals), proceedings volumes, communications via the web, synthesis monographs. The question of how to disseminate results should be carefully planned from the beginning of the project, taking into consideration the diversity of target audiences concerned with the topic, and their need for specific targeted outputs.
General information on the SCOPE publications and communications strategy is available on the SCOPE webpage (www.icsu-scope.org)

Final Synthesis Volume

Any final synthesis volume produced by a SCOPE project should present a critical review of the existing scientific information on a given environmental problem, identifying controversial issues and knowledge gaps and directing attention to new directions for research and (as appropriate) sound environment management practices and policies. It may also be concerned with the development of internationally acceptable methodologies. This final synthesis will generally (but not in every case) take the form of a book-length monograph published in the SCOPE Series through Island Press, a not-for-profit publishing house based in the USA.

The volume should always be introduced or concluded by a synthesis chapter. An executive summary can also present an overview of the project results in language accessible to the non-expert audience, as well as a set of recommendations addressed to scientists and to practitioners.

SCOPE monographs are directed beyond the SCOPE community to the scientific community concerned with environmental issues and to people involved in developing and implementing environmental policy. Some volumes may be widely used as teaching material for graduate courses. Occasionally, a monograph may be produced in a field in which it is appropriate to address policy-makers, and very occasionally publication of a highly technical scientific report may be justified.

When approving the project, the Executive Committee decides in principle if the topic for a proposed final volume is suitable for publication in the SCOPE series or should more appropriately be published through other channels. Screening of the manuscript will usually be done by an external reviewer appointed by the Executive Committee upon the recommendation of the Editor-in-Chief.

The Editor-in-Chief is the guarantor of the quality of SCOPE publications as well as the liaison officer with the editors of the proposed volume, the publisher and the reviewer. Chairperson/s should initiate early contact with the Editor-in-Chief who will provide specific instructions for authors and editors.

It should be recognized that a manuscript may finally be considered unsuitable for publication in the SCOPE Series by the reviewer and/or Editor-in-Chief.

Island Press, publisher of the SCOPE scientific monographs since 200 2, is seeking to develop its expert readership base through our Series. They wish to concentrate on those SCOPE reports that they are able to market in a way that will do justice to the book. In certain cases, Island Press may advise the Editor-in-Chief to seek alternate publishers with a longer established readership in a given discipline or field of research, to better serve the interests of the report.

Particular concerns about a manuscript may include quality below the standards set in the SCOPE series; excessive length or too much descriptive material or simply a collection of case studies; too much material published elsewhere. In such a case, a constructive solution for publication in another form may be identified if no suitable remedial measures can be taken. Any manuscript rejection is subject to confirmation by the Executive Committee.

Other Publications

In addition to publication of one final volume in the SCOPE series, it is sometimes desirable to publish the proceedings of a given workshop, or articles in a science journal highlighting a specific aspect of the project findings. Although such intermediary publications are not normally subject to the same review process as final volumes, the Officers and Editor-in-Chief of SCOPE should be informed in advance of the publication plans in order to provide for a review of the manuscripts as deemed necessary.

Most SCOPE projects deal with issues of concern to a large audience and information on these issues and on their policy implications should be circulated as widely as possible. Particular attention should be given to the production of policy relevant publications. The production of semi-popular books or brochures for the educated public and of summaries for decision-makers, stemming from the science volumes, is encouraged. Likewise, the executive chapter of each final volume can be usefully reformatted for publication in a journal or as a separate policy-brief leaflet for wide distribution. The Internet and CD-Roms provide other options for the circulation and dissemination of project results.