Paper Development Subcommittee - Call for Proposals

The Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (SBSM) Board of Directors and the Paper Development Subcommittee invite application proposals for writing teams to develop white papers on behalf of the Society.

We are accepting proposals for any topic that would serve to advance the SBSM’s mission of promoting the science and clinical practice of behavioral sleep medicine. We strongly encourage proposals for topics for emerging clinical/research areas, where published consensus or guidelines have not been established, or where a statement of the position of the SBSM is warranted

Additional information on these topics, including potential questions to be addressed and objectives of these projects, are available. Final proposals on suggested topics of interest will be accepted until Friday, May 31st at 8:00pm EST / 5:00pm PST.

INITIAL APPLICATION

Paper proposals should be based on instructions for paper development within the SBSM Guidelines for Development of Position Statements, Consensus Statements, and Clinical Practice Guidelines. We are only accepting proposals that fit one of these three paper formats for SBSM-sponsored white papers.

If interested in submitting a proposal, please review the information and supplementary links, and then use this form to submit an initial Application of Interest. We will then schedule a brief meeting with members of your proposed writing team and the Paper Development Subcommittee to discuss your proposal. Applications will only be considered after meeting with the PDSC to discuss a proposal. This is to save time/effort and initiate collaboration between writing teams and the PDSC.

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

The paper type that is selected to address a specific or open topic can be left to the discretion of the writing team but should be explicitly stated within the proposal application. SBSM papers can cover a variety of topics related to behavioral sleep medicine and each paper type serves a different purpose as described below:

Position Statements: A Position Statement is a relatively-briefer (compared to other document types) pronouncement that describes an official position of the organization. It may explain, justify, or suggest an opinion about an issue or emerging topic. It contains sufficient background information and explanation to provide an understanding of the issues involved and the rationale behind the position adopted. Thus, the main function of a position statement is to describe the official position of the organization on a specific issue, in the context of the best available evidence. Panels consist of 3-8 experts and/or stakeholders who participate equally in the process of developing a Position Statement.

Consensus Statements: A Consensus Statement is developed by subject matter experts based on a systematic review of the available literature, for the purpose of understanding a clinically-relevant issue or procedure. Thus, the main function of a consensus statement is to comprehensively summarize a specific topic. Panels consist of 3-8 experts who participate equally in the process of developing a Consensus Statement.

Clinical Practice Guidelines: A Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) describes best practices so as to reduce inappropriate clinical care variations, minimize patient harm, promote cost-effective practice, and produce optimal patient outcomes. The guidelines are developed through systematic review and meta-analysis (if possible) using the strongest available evidence in the literature. The information is combined with expert opinions where appropriate, to produce a specific set of directives intended to influence practitioner and patient behavior. Thus, the main function of a CPG is to specify best practices for clinical care. Panels for CPGs may be larger than other projects and can consist of 8-12 experts and/or stakeholders.

ELIGIBILITY:

The Panel Chair and all (or a majority) of the project panel should be active members of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (SBSM). Justification for the inclusion of non-members should be submitted with the application.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

Writing teams that have met to discuss a potential topic will be invited to submit a Proposal Application. Applications will only be considered after meeting with the PDSC to discuss a proposal. The Proposal Application for requested topics should be received by the specified submission day. Proposals for other paper topics can be submitted at any time.

All completed proposals will be reviewed by members of the Paper Development Subcommittee and evaluated based on several criterion areas including project justification, proposed methodology, quality of the overall application (clarity, completeness), and composition/credentials of the project panel. Proposals that are deemed to be of high quality and interest to the SBSM will be submitted to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for final approval.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

All individuals involved on a paper project are required to declare any potential conflict of interests (COI) of themselves, family, or business affiliates that relate to their project duties and in compliance with state and federal regulations. All declarations must be made prior to engaging in project duties, at any time a new relationship or COI develops, and annually (if project timeline exceeds one year). Members of a Paper Panel selected under this CFP will be required to submit all COI declarations using the SBSM Conflict of Interest Statement, which is submitted to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for review. If it is determined that a COI exists, the Executive Committee and Board of Directors will provide instructions to the responsible party on necessary actions, which may include request not to participate on the selected paper panel.

CONTACT:

For any questions about these Guidelines, specific application procedures, or other questions about potential paper topics, feel free to contact the Chair of the Paper Development Subcommittee, Dr. Earl (Chuck) Crew via email: earl.crew2@va.gov. For general questions about scheduling a meeting to discuss the proposal, please contact Executive Director, Kathryn Hansen, at membership@behavioralsleep.org

APPLICATION COMPONENTS (Required to be submitted for Proposal review)

Personal Information - Panel Chair / Primary Contact Person
Name of Panel chair / demographic and contact information (institutional title/affiliations, phone, email address)
CV and/or Biosketch
Brief summary (2-3 sentences) of credentials and area of expertise that support leading a paper development project
Yes/No: Do you, your family significant other, employer or close associates have any financial, commercial, or non-financial interests that may benefit or gain from this paper?
- If yes, please explain:

2. Proposed Project Description (be as detailed as possible):

List potential key questions to be addressed through the paper. We recognize that these questions may change following the systematic review.
Describe the proposed methodology to be used for this paper. If selecting a methodology not specified/recommended within the Paper Development Guidelines, please provide rationale for this.
Describe why this topic should be a priority for SBSM?
List and cite any current papers relating to the proposed topic (if applicable):
- If there are current SBSM papers related to this topic, what is the rationale for developing a new paper?
- If there are existing external papers, explain why it is necessary for SBSM to develop a new paper (vs. adopting the external paper?)
- List and cite any recent/relevant position papers, systematic reviews, or influential publications on the proposed topic.
Will this proposal involve conducting a new systematic review and/or meta-analysis? Please provide a rationale for yes or no.

3. Other Proposed Panel Members (i.e., 3-8 Expert Panel members and ideally at least one trainee and another stakeholder). Trainees and stakeholders are not required but encouraged if appropriate. All proposed panel members should have agreed to participate and have reviewed the full proposal prior to submission.

List proposed panel members, credentials and area of expertise, and a brief summary (2-3 sentences) on how their background has prepared them to contribute to the development of this paper.
If the panel does not include trainees or additional stakeholders, please explain the rationale.
List any relevant history of collaboration among panel members.
Note any available resources that can be provided by team members and/or their institutions (e.g., library access; trainee assistance)
Yes/No: Do you, your family significant other, employer or close associates have any financial, commercial, or non-financial interests that may benefit or gain from this paper?
- If yes, please explain:
If the proposed methodology might/will likely include the addition of more project members in the future (beyond the aforementioned panel, pending proposal acceptance), or non-listed participants who play a supportive role, please include the following information:
- What will be the selection criteria for designating additional members to the paper panel?
- Will future member recruitment target inclusion of any other relevant stakeholders (e.g., patients, non-sleep providers, healthcare systems personnel)? Why or why not, and what criteria will be utilized for member recruitment?
- In executing your proposed methodology, how much (if any) will any primary tasks be delegated to trainees or other support staff (e.g., research coordinators or graduate students)?

4. Timeline

Briefly describe the proposed timeline for the project, including completion date for the entire project as well as pertinent intermediate steps (e.g., finalize search strategy; article selection, paper drafts, paper reviews, editing, etc).