Friday 9 September 2016

VPHA correspondence: JVSTA manuscript with expanded co-author list

The email below was sent to 72 VPHA co-authors. 
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Dear VPHA co-authors,

The first commenting round of our JVSTA manuscript has ended. Thank you for all who gave comments upon it in the shared file <link removed>.

Regarding the next steps, there will be a major change coming in the next manuscript version, of which I would like to inform everyone with this email. The major change is that all co-authors of the ALD-history-evolving-file will by default be included as co-authors of the JVSTA manuscript. One can opt out from the author list of course if one wishes to do so, and be thanked in Acknowledgements. This requires action from everyone: please read carefully this whole e-mail, and especially the paragraph in blue at the bottom.

A bit of explanation should be in place regarding this major change. The change is related to the fact that our earlier decision to limit the authorship to only those who participated in the VPHA voting was, in hindsight, not the right one. Thank you to those VPHA contributors who gave feedback and helped us notice this. The earlier, more limited authorship proposal was made (somewhat in haste) in June, preparing for the poster presentation at ALD 2016. We wanted to have as many as possible VPHA participants to participate in the voting, to have the most balanced and covering result as possible. Thirty people participated, ensuring that the voting result is covering and meaningful. However, while writing the JVSTA manuscript, it has become increasingly clear that the article is not just about the voting result, but all the commenting work done in VPHA contributes to the article. With the new decision to include all VPHA co-authors as co-authors of the JVSTA manuscript, we feel that VPHA is back on the right track, continuing with the inclusive approach which it has had all through from July 2013, and working in atmosphere of openness, respect, and trust. We hope that all VPHA contributors can appreciate this change.

Other next steps related to the JVSTA manuscript:
  • We will next work out the second version of the manuscript. This may take about a week to complete. In addition to the major change described above, there will be changes to the structure of the manuscript (splitting Results section in two part) as well as many small changes to the contents, to accommodate the comments give in the shared file as well as new ideas from the core organizational group.
  • The manuscript will be sent again for commenting as a shared file. Everyone will have a chance to comment of approximately one week.  

 Finally, some words about the (long) co-author list. If all co-authors of VPHA will be authors of the JVSTA paper, we will (currently) have 72 co-author. Having such a massive author list is in line with the nature of VPHA, but it is unusual for scientific papers. The long author list makes the manuscript preparation and submission process unusually challenging to coordinate.

Before submission, we need to ensure (i) that the author list is correct, and (ii) that the manuscript contents are accepted by all co-authors. To be included in the author list, please provide your affiliation information. (Many have done it already.) We interpret that by providing one’s affiliation, one confirms his/her will to be a co-author. At the same time, one takes the responsibility for checking that the manuscript contents are ok for him/her. You can send us your affiliation via email (info@ vph-ald.com) or leave it as a “comment” in the shared manuscript in the second commenting round to-come. We expect all co-authors to check the manuscript and to actively express, if there are contents included with which one does not agree with. If you don’t want to be co-author, please also express this in an e-mail to info@ vph-ald.com.

Looking forward to creating a high-quality manuscript as outcome of VPHA,
Best regards,
Riikka Puurunen, VPHA coordinator
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Riikka Puurunen (Dr.), Senior Scientist, Microsystems and Nanoelectronics; Project Manager (IPMA C)
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Tietotie 3, Espoo (P.O. Box 1000), FI-02044 Espoo (VTT), Finland

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