[This Remit was updated by the MEs' Executive, September, 2018]

Purpose of the Managing Editors' Executive

The purpose of the MEs' Executive is to be a conduit for communication and information flow to and from the MEs, Cochrane Governing Board, Cochrane Council and the Editor in Chief (EiC).

Accountability and reporting

• The MEs' Executive is accountable to all MEs, Assistant MEs and Editorial Assistants.
• The MEs' Executive will report to all MEs on activities, with a written report presented at the MEs' Colloquium meeting and incorporated into the final minutes.
• The MEs' Executive will produce written reports or papers for the Cochrane Governing Board and other stakeholder groups, as required.

Objectives 

• To advise the Cochrane Governing Board, and the Cochrane Council via its ME representatives, on all aspects relating to the role and function of MEs in a timely and effective manner.
• To advise the EiC on all aspects relating to the function of MEs within the Cochrane Review Groups (CRGs) in a timely and effective manner.
• To facilitate effective and timely communications between the MEs, Information Specialists (ISs), the Co-ordinating Editors' Board and the EiC.
• To feed back any relevant decisions or discussions from the Cochrane Governing Board, Cochrane Council, and from the EiC.
• To assist, if necessary, the filling of ME positions on Cochrane working groups or Editorial & Methods Department (EMD) led projects.
• To consult with, and assist if necessary, the Cochrane Governing Board or Cochrane Council on the appointment of ME ‘liaison’ positions when any such positions arise, e.g. in the context of special projects or the formation of temporary working committees.
• To assist with the planning and organising of regional and other MEs' meetings as appropriate.
• To consult MEs on issues relating to their role and function within the organisation.
• To identify collective MEs' concerns and issues and bring them forward to the appropriate arena.

Decision-making

• The MEs' Executive will aim to reach full consensus; when this is not possible, decisions will be based on a majority vote. In the case of a tied vote, the Co-Convenors of the MEs’ Executive will have the deciding vote. In the event that the vote is still tied, the Cochrane Council Representative will have the deciding vote.
• For decisions to be taken at MEs' Executive meetings, a quorum of more than half the membership of the MEs' Executive is necessary. For decisions to be taken by e-mail correspondence, it is expected that all members of the MEs' Executive will vote but if this is not possible, the above quorum stands.
• When necessary, decisions will be based on consultation with all MEs.

Meetings

• At least one face-to-face meeting per year, which will generally be held at the Governance Meetings; an additional meeting may be held at the annual Cochrane Colloquia.
• Dedicated e-mail discussion list.
• Regular telephone conferences.
• The MEs' Executive minutes will be accessible on Archie in the MEs' Forum.
• Minutes of meetings and conference calls will adhere to the following timeline: draft to be circulated within two weeks and finalised within three weeks of the meeting/teleconference call.
• The non-MEs’ Executive representative on the Council may be invited to join part of an Executive meeting when Council business is discussed.

Membership of the MEs' Executive

• Membership will be on a voluntary basis. A general call for volunteers will initially be made via the MEs' discussion list (mes@lists.cochrane.org) whenever there is a vacancy.
• MEs can nominate themselves or a colleague [1] to be a member.
• Nominated MEs will prepare a short personal statement outlining why they are interested in the position and what they feel they would add to the Executive.
• In the event that more than one nomination is received for a vacancy, the candidates will be discussed amongst the members of the Executive and the final decision will be made by the Co-Convenors.
• Volunteers will be expected to have the time to devote to the position, the skills required, and the trust of their colleagues.
• Job sharing between two part-time volunteers will be considered and accommodated if possible.
• All terms will be for three years. To ensure continuity, recruitment of new members will be staggered to ensure no more than one-third of the Executive is replaced in a given year. There is no limit on the number of terms that may be served, but re-appointment is contingent upon the Co-Convenors’ approval.

Membership of the Cochrane Council

• The MEs’ Executive representative on the Cochrane Council will be elected by the MEs' Executive.

Size, composition and representation

• The MEs' Executive is limited to eight MEs. Ideally, the MEs will reflect the diversity of CRGs, in particular the size of a CRG in terms of review portfolio, experience of the ME, network representation and geographical location (where possible).
• The Co-Convenors of the MEs’ Executive may co-opt up to two additional members to the MEs’ Executive should the workload or balance of experience and expertise require that additional members would be beneficial in helping the Executive achieve its objectives. The co-opted members will serve a fixed term which will be set and reviewed by the Co-Convenors.
• There will be two Co-Convenors of the MEs' Executive at any given time.

Responsibilities of MEs' Executive members

• To participate actively by e-mail, teleconference meetings, and if possible, face-to-face meetings at Governance Meetings and Cochrane Colloquia.
• To raise and respond to issues of importance to MEs via papers presented to the Cochrane Board, Cochrane Council, the Co-ordinating Editors' Board, the annual MEs' and joint editorial meetings.
• To take minutes on a rotating basis at the MEs' Executive meetings (where the meetings are not recorded).
• To engage with the MEs’ community by collecting feedback from members and being open to suggestions or requests.
• To maintain the Managing Editors Portal to ensure key resources for MEs are available on one platform.

Responsibilities of MEs' Executive Co-Convenors

• To liaise on a regular basis to ensure issues of relevance to MEs are taken forward to the MEs' Executive in the first instance, and to determine how these should be managed (e.g. by e-mail, teleconference).
• To organise and collate feedback from members of the MEs’ Executive on documents sent to the Co-Convenors of the Executive or the full MEs’ Executive from the EiC or other members of the EMD.
• To agree and sign, whenever possible, messages sent to the MEs' Executive/MEs. One Co-Convenors signature will be sufficient.
• To ensure that all members of the MEs’ Executive commit to the actions under ‘Responsibilities of MEs’ Executive members’. In the event that this does not occur, one or both Co-Convenors will contact the member to discuss remedial actions. In the event that the situation does not improve, the member will vacate their position and a new member will be sought through the usual process.

Communication

• To liaise with the EMD by communicating regularly with the EiC.
• To ensure that ME representatives on Cochrane working groups and special projects provide feedback to the MEs' Executive in a timely manner for consideration at MEs' Executive meetings (and teleconferences).
• To ensure appropriate communication through the MEs' mailing list, Discussion Forum, and directly to MEs if appropriate.

^[1] Colleague refers to those who hold the post of Managing Editor, Assistant or Satellite Managing Editor across Cochrane Review Groups.