IMS Bulletin (11 March 2005)

Index

1. Contact Information Advisory Group
2. IMS question of the week: How are Primary entities assigned?

1. Contact Information Advisory Group

Following the acceptance by the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group (CCSG) of the proposal for an additional advisory group to the Steering Group, which was made by the Information Management System Group (IMSG) in October 2004, members of the IMS Development Team and the Cochrane Collaboration Secretariat have agreed on the increasingly urgent need for such a group. The CCSG is therefore being asked to approve the formulation of the Contact Information Advisory Group (CIAG) and its draft remit at its meeting on 2 to 4 April. In brief, the intention is that the CIAG will advise the Steering Group on policies and procedures pertaining to contact information about members of The Cochrane Collaboration held in the IMS and contact information held elsewhere by The Cochrane Collaboration.

2. IMS question of the week

Question: How are Primary entities assigned?

Answer: Each person must have a Primary entity. Aside from the person in question, only the Primary entity can edit a person's record.

The basic principle is that the entity a person works with most closely should be that person's Primary entity on the grounds that this entity is most likely to be aware if there is a change in contact details. Some entity roles, such as RGC, Staff, or Co-ordinating Editor, naturally suggest a Primary entity affiliation. Similarly, the role of Editor usually implies a closer working relationship with an entity than does Author, and Author, in turn, suggests a closer affiliation than Mailing list. In cases where a person is working equally closely with several entities, the RGCs in the entities involved will need to agree on a Primary entity assignment.

Please note that this topic will be discussed in greater detail in the forthcoming 'RGC User Guide' on managing contact details.