2019.01 Internal Review of Public Facing Publications

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this protocol is to establish the process used by the TB/HIV/STD Section (THSS) to review and approve public-facing publications. The goal of this protocol is to maximize communication efforts and ensure publications presented to the public are reviewed by management and leadership for quality, accuracy, clarity, and consistent messaging.
 

2.0 Overview

This protocol will outline a procedure for logging, routing, and tracking public-facing publications throughout the approval process. Items covered under this protocol include, but are not limited to:

• Public-facing reports
• Conference abstracts
• Clinical abstracts*
• Brochures
• Fact sheets
• Position statements
• Web pages
• Other public-facing documents and publications

*will require routing through LIDS Medical Director

In general, all public-facing publications will need to be approved by the respective group and/or branch manager, section director, and the associate commissioner before being published for public consumption. The publication owner will be responsible for documenting approval by each party.
 

3.0 Definitions

THSS – The TB/HIV/STD Section, which includes the Section Office, the Health Communication and Community Engagement Group, the HIV/STD Prevention and Care Branch, the TB/HIV/STD Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch, the TB and Hansen’s Disease Branch and the Pharmacy Branch.  

COS – Chief of Staff

Publication – the public-facing item that is needing approval by management and leadership before being published, examples of item types listed in Section 2.0.

Publication Owner – Program staff in the Section who are responsible for writing and preparing public-facing publications 
 

4.0 Persons Affected

• TB/HIV/STD Publication Owners
• TB/HIV/STD Section Branch and Group Managers
• TB/HIV/STD Section Chief of Staff
• TB/HIV/STD Section Director
   

5.0 Responsibilities

Publication Owners in the Section will:

• Recognize when a publication needs to be processed for approval.
• Consult with their respective Section Branch/Group Manager(s) prior to submitting a publication for approval, especially when there is potential for heightened internal or external attention and/or controversy around its subject matter.
• Ensure publications submitted for approval contain information that is clear, accurate, and timely.
• Ensure publications submitted for approval have been line-edited to eliminate grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors prior to submission.
• Ensure that sufficient time is accounted for to allow for publications to be reviewed and approved by all required reviewers.
• Secure approval from their appropriate managers for the publications being processed before routing to the Section Office.
• Fill out Routing Cover Sheet and forward with publication for approval to THSS COS.

Section Branch/Group Managers will:

• Review and approve publications before routing for Section and Division approvals, making edits and revisions as warranted.
• Complete review and approval of publications within 3-5 working days of receipt of publication, or other timeframe if specified.
• Consult with the Section Director when there is potential for heightened internal or external attention and/or controversy around a publication submitted for review. 
• Verify accuracy of any data presented.
• Verify staff have used the approved writing style guide and correct format.
• Verify publication is of high quality.

TB/HIV/STD Section Chief of Staff will:

• Provide clarifications and assistance as needed.
• Receive, route and track publications and their approval to the THSS Director and the appropriate Division Office staff and back to the THSS program staff.

TB/HIV/STD Section Director will:

• Provide guidance and expertise as needed.
• Ensure publication narrative is mindful of agency and political context.
• Complete review and approval of publications within 3-5 working days of receipt of publications, or other timeframe if specified.
   

6.0 Procedures

6.1 THSS Program staff will:

6.1.1. Complete and attach the Routing Cover Sheet to the finalized publication, secure Group/Branch approval and route the documents to the THSS COS for routing and approval from the THSS Director and appropriate Division Office staff.

6.2 THSS COS will:

6.2.1. Log publication into appropriate tracking spreadsheet

6.2.2. Route publication to the THSS Director for review and approval. The THSS Director will review and respond within 3-5 business days, or other timeframe as specified on the Routing Cover Sheet.

6.2.3. Update the tracking spreadsheet as needed

6.2.4. After the THSS Director has reviewed and approved the publication, the THSS COS will route and track the publication to the appropriate Division Office staff for their review and approval.

6.2.5. Upon return of the packet, the THSS COS will forward the publication back to the THSS Program Staff for appropriate disposition.
 

7.0 Review Timelines

In general, the THSS Director will require at least three full business days to review documents. An additional three business days are required for each Division leadership personnel, such as the Associate Commissioner and The LIDS Medical Director. These time requirements must be built into the timeline for the publication to reach their appropriate destination (i.e. presentation, publication date, announcement) with sufficient time for their review process and timely submission.
 

8.0 Revision History