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HANDBOOK for POLICY AND PROCEDURES Last updated: November 2007 (This handbook should be updated each year by the Historian and mailed to each Board Member at least two months prior to Annual Meeting) The purpose of this Handbook is to define policies and procedures of SSSR in order to improve communication, effectiveness, and efficiency. One function of this policy Handbook is to inform the elected and appointed officers regarding their tasks and responsibilities and how they should proceed in carrying out their responsibilities. A second function of this Handbook is to clarify how decisions are made for the membership. The Handbook contains explicit statements of policies on important functions of the organization that are consistent with but are not always covered explicitly in the Bylaws. Handbook policies may be changed or exceptions granted by a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors unless the change involves a policy or procedure specified in the Bylaws. The entire policy handbook is to be reviewed on an annual basis. The policies and procedures of each Standing Committee described in the Handbook should be consistent with the policies and procedures set forth by the Bylaws and the Board. The policy and procedures for these committees should be updated annually when appropriate. This handbook is divided into four major areas that relate to: (A) the conduct of the annual meeting, (B) the general matters of the organization's business, (C) the work of the standing committees, and (D) current leadership, i.e., a listing of the names of current officers, board members, and committee members, with dates to be served. A.1.1 The President-elect is Program Chair and the Vice-President is associate chair. The President-elect may appoint persons to serve on the Program Committee. The procedure for selecting Program Committee members is at the discretion of the President-elect. A.1.2 The Program Chair shall coordinate and make decisions regarding co-sponsored meetings. A.2.1 The Vice-President assesses appropriate locations, dates, and local conference coordinator(s), and makes recommendations to the Board. The Board will decide by vote on the times and sites for the annual meeting. A.2.2 Subsequent negotiation with hotels is the responsibility of the Conference Coordinator. The President is responsible for signing any final agreements. A.3.1 The President-elect, at his or her discretion, appoints a Conference Coordinator. A.3.2 Responsibilities of the Conference Coordinator include: work with the SSSR Program Chair and Association Manager to plan and implement conference operations, attend Board meetings, bring relevant conference issues to the Board's attention, and take Board decisions into consideration when planning conference. Specifically, the Conference Coordinator shall: obtain a detailed list of actions and timelines from the previous conference coordinator; obtain meeting rooms; negotiate rates for sleeping rooms at conference hotel; order refreshments for conference breaks and Interactive Paper sessions; order audio-visual equipment; negotiate contracts for sleeping rooms, refreshments and a/v equipment; answer or redirect questions from potential conference attendees; recruit and supervise graduate assistants for conference registration; record payment of registration fees, submit records and payments to treasurer; solve problems that may occur on site, e.g., concerning a/v equipment; submit receipts and bills to SSSR treasurer for payment; report to Board on conference registration, expenses and other issues. A.3.3 The Program Chair and Conference Coordinator propose a budget including all the expenses for the conference, and accordingly a structure of conference registration fees to balance the budget. This proposal should be sent for approval to the Board of Directors at least 6 months before the conference. A.3.4 Graduate students who help with registration for at least four hours will be given a year's membership free and will not have to pay the registration fee for the conference. A.4.1 The Program Chair, who is the President-elect, prepares a call for proposals with the advice of the Program Committee. The call for proposals is e-mailed to the membership at least 9 months in advance of the annual meeting and published on the SSSR website (www.triplesr.org). A.4.2 The program at the Annual Meeting will consist of scientific papers presented by any member, such as voting members, active members, student members, emeritus members and nonmembers. Each member may be first author and present no more than one paper; authorship other than first author is allowed on other papers. Every submitted proposal will be a structured abstract of no more than 250 words. All proposals will undergo review by the Program Committee. All proposals which are evaluated as "accept without reservation" will be included on the program unless the number exceeds space limitations. Proposals receiving mixed reviews will be included if there is space. Proposals receiving recommendations of rejection will not be included. Letters of acceptance/rejection plus reviewer evaluations will be sent to the first author of proposals. A.4.3 Paper and Interactive Paper (poster) sessions are the primary means of communicating information. Seminars, and alternative formats are permissible at the discretion of the program chair. A.4.4 Papers eligible for presentation are those that have not been previously published or have not been proposed or presented at another professional meeting. Priority is ordinarily given to papers involving the presentation of empirical data relevant to research hypotheses or research questions that are driven by theory, and to studies where the data have been collected and analyzed. A.4.5 The President is expected to give a Presidential Address during the second annual meeting of his/her presidency. This special session is scheduled on the afternoon of the second day of the conference at a time when no other meetings may be scheduled. On the alternate years when there is no Presidential Address, there should be an address from a member who has been given an award for scientific excellence in reading research. A.4.6 Two special sessions, in addition to the Presidential Address or Award Address, may be arranged at the discretion of the President-elect (Program Chair). A.4.7 The accepted proposals are organized by topic and assigned a program slot. Concurrent sessions are utilized to accommodate all eligible presentations constrained only by the availability of meeting rooms. A.4.8 Individual presenters are allowed 20 minutes to present and discuss their papers, with a maximum of 15 minutes for the presentation and a minimum of five minutes for questions and comments. A.4.9 Production of the program document is the responsibility of the President-elect. Its cost is covered by SSSR upon approval of the President. The program is published on the SSSR website at least three months in advance of the annual meeting. All individual presentations are listed including affiliation, email address, and co-authors. A.4.10 Participation on the program is limited to those who have paid their registration fees. A.4.11 Any author who is unable to present a paper listed in the program must contact the Program Chair immediately to determine the appropriate course of action. Authors who fail to notify the Program Chair in advance of the meeting will not be eligible to present a paper at the meeting the following year. A.4.12 No expenses should be provided for any speaker, unless approved by the Board. A.4.13 Audio visual equipment consisting of a screen, projector and laptop will be available for use by presenters. Any other equipment must be supplied by individual presenters. A.4.14 Audience questions and comments are solicited and encouraged immediately following each presentation. It is the responsibility of the Program Chair to design the program and educate session chairs so that this goal is accomplished. Designated discussants are permitted when appropriate. A.5.1 The Program Chair will submit a written report at the first Board Meeting held during the annual conference and a spoken report to each annual Business Meeting about the conference. A.5.2 The report will focus on submissions, rejections, program composition, and structure, and also includes the number of attendees and a financial overview of registrations, costs of accommodation, refreshments, etc. A.6.1 Smoking is prohibited in all meeting sessions. This policy must be stated on each page of the program. A.7.0 Allocation of complimentary rooms and/or expenses A.7.1 Those officers to receive complimentary rooms for the annual meeting are, in order of priority: (1) President, (2) Person designated by President to be in charge of on-site registration. 3) President-elect, (4) Conference Coordinator, (5) Vice-president, (6) Immediate past president. A.7.2 Complimentary airline tickets will be allocated in the following priority order: (1) Elected Officers, (2) Conference Coordinator, (3) Appointed Officers, (4) other Board Members. A.8.0 Publishers and advertising A.8.1 Publishers shall not be allowed to sponsor events at the conference, but may provide flyers for a small cost, negotiated with the Program Committee. A.8.2 SSSR will accept advertisements for any of its publications provided they are in keeping with the scholarly and professional nature of the organization. SSSR publications are intended to promote the study and dissemination of information about the scientific study of reading and related fields. SSSR reserves the right to unilaterally reject, omit, or cancel advertising which is not in keeping with its purposes, or which by tone, content, or appearance is not in keeping with the essential scientific, scholarly, and professional nature of the organization. Only ads related to reading research will be considered. B.1.0 SSSR Association Manager duties B.1.1 Membership:
B.1.2 Communications:
B.1.3 Conference:
B.2.1 Maintain and update the SSSR webpage:
B.2.2 Maintain and update the web-based conference proposal submission B.2.3 Maintain the SSSR member listserve:
B.2.4 Maintain the SSSR board listserve:
B.3.1 The membership year begins on the first day of the calendar year, January 1, and extends to the last day of the calendar year, December 31. B.3.2 Special reduced dues for emeritus members or members from emerging and/or developing countries must be applied for in writing. B.4.0 Elections and Balloting on Issues B.4.1 The Nominations Committee prepares a list of nominations for each position to be filled. Advice and recommendations are sought from the membership, and from the Board. The Nominations Committee contacts nominees for acceptance of nomination. B.4.2 Ballots should be e-mailed to voting members. Each nominee's name, title, and institutional affiliation are listed on the ballot, along with a brief description (maximum 150 words) of research interests and goals for the organization. B.4.3 The Secretary counts ballots in accordance with the Bylaws, and informs the President by phone or by hardcopy (e-mail or letter) about the results. The President informs the nominees by letter. B.4.4 The Hare system will be used whenever there are more than two members running for one position on the ballot. B.4.5 The Secretary shall provide an election report at the first Board Meeting following the election. This report includes names of nominees, a tally of the votes for each, and the persons receiving the most votes. B.4.6 No Board member shall approach the membership by mail or other means on issues that are being presented to the membership for a vote. This action does not preclude Board members from responding to inquiries by members. B.5.1 Minutes of Board Meetings B.5.1.1 The Secretary will keep minutes of the Board of Directors meetings and of the annual Business Meetings. She or he will record information on reports, all motions and associated vote counts, plus notes on all policy and procedure changes approved by the Board for use in the annual review and update of this Handbook. Written reports presented on the agenda of either of these meetings shall be submitted to the Secretary for inclusion in the minutes. B.5.1.2 Minutes of Board Meetings and Business Meetings shall be received by Board members as early as possible but no later than two months after a Board/Business Meeting and approved by email vote from the Board within 1 month after receiving the minutes. B.5.1.3 After receiving a copy of the minutes from the Secretary, the Historian will begin the annual review and update of this Handbook. An updated version of the handbook will be emailed to Board members for approval in November, and later posted on the Society website by the end of the calendar year. B.6.1 The members of SSSR are expected to behave in an ethical manner with respect to the conduct and reporting of research. Members who need more specific guidance regarding ethics should consult the guidelines and standards published by other larger organizations whose members conduct social science research, such as the American Psychological Association. B.7.1 Scientific Study of Reading (SSR) B.7.1.1 Any contract between SSSR and the publisher of SSR will contain relevant policies and procedures that take precedence over any other stated policy. B.7.1.2 Reprints for persons other than the authors of SSR articles will be offered to the following: (1) Non-commercial agencies free of charge. (2)Commercial agencies at a fee paid to SSSR (not the authors). B.7.1.3 At the commencement of his/her term, the Editor of SSR will appoint members of the SSR Editorial Board to serve for the duration of his/her editorship or any portion thereof. Additional appointments to the Editorial Board, term extensions, and terminations of prior appointments may be later made by the Editor. B.7.1.4 Authors of SSR articles will receive galleys but may correct only type-setting errors without a charge. B.7.1.5 The Editor of SSR may produce one topical issue per year with guest editors, without special approval from the Board. B.8.1 The Liststerve may be used by members and by organizations approved by the President for the following purposes: announcement of positions in academic settings, announcements of conferences on reading, mailings for grant competitions. B.9.1 Membership fees are as follows: Active (Voting) $100, Emeritus $50, Student $40, Late fee (after March 30), add $25. B.9.2 Conference registration fees are set on an annual basis in order to cover all costs directly related to organizing the conference, including the rent of meeting rooms, refreshments, equipments, etc. (see A.3.2). The Conference Coordinator submits a budget proposal to the Board, including a fee structure. After approval by the Board, the fees are published on the website. B.9.3 Members should pay their annual dues and the conference registration fees by credit card at the SSSR web site. B.10.1 The Historian shall be responsible for archival copies of the program for each Annual Meeting, the minutes of each Board meeting and Business meeting, and the Handbook for each year. These archives shall be kept with the Association Manager. The Historian shall also be responsible for updating the Society website on the meeting information, officers, award winners, Bylaws, and Handbook. B.11.1 The award for the Distinguished Scientific Contributions recognizes empirical, theoretical, or scholarly work or collection of works that have served significantly to further the scientific understanding of reading, its processes, its acquisition, or its instruction. The award will be given every other year. B.12.1 When any motion is made with the intent of creating a new policy or procedure or changing existing policy or procedure, it shall be so stated in the motion. B.12.2 There should be a Policy and Procedures description for each standing committee. Changes in that description should be submitted to the Board for approval. B.12.3 Policy can be made by vote of the Board of Directors. B.12.4 This Handbook on Policies and Procedures will be updated annually by the Historian. C.1.0 Members of the Standing Committees C.1.1 Appointment of Committees. The appointment of new members to standing committees shall be announced by the President. C.1.2 Term of Office for Committee Members. The term of office for new committee members shall begin officially on January 1, and shall continue for two years, unless otherwise specified by the President with the approval of the Board. C.1.3 Committee Meetings. SSSR Committee meetings are open to all members. When the Nominating Committee goes into executive session, it can request anyone who is not a committee member to leave. C.1.4 Committee Chair Requests for Budget Monies. Any Committee Chairs may request budget monies and will specify when committee expenses will occur, by specifying the amount needed, the date when it is needed, and its purpose. C.2.1 Membership. Appointment and Term of Office: The President shall appoint a Chair of the Publications Committee for a term of two years. The Chair becomes a Board Member of SSSR. Prior to this appointment as Chair, this person shall have served as a member of the Publications Committee unless all members serving during the past two years refuse this appointment. The Publications Committee will consist of the Chair and three other members appointed by the President, plus SSSR publication editors who will serve on the Committee as non-voting members. The Chair shall confer, as necessary, with the SSSR President, editor(s), and other parties. C.2.2.1 Copyrights. The committee shall ensure that SSSR publications are copyrighted and that the copyrights are maintained. C.2.2.2 Co-sponsored publications. The committee may arrange co-sponsorship of commercial publications with individuals or organizations. The percentage of royalties for SSSR shall be determined by the committee. C.2.2.3 Promotion. The committee shall promote SSSR publications, by (1) promoting the journal for the society, called the Scientific Study of Reading (SSR), (2) promoting the submission of articles to the journal, and (3) promoting subscriptions to the journal, including libraries. C.2.2.4 Advisement. SSSR editors shall make final decisions regarding the contents of their publications. In its advisement role, the Committee shall oversee the quality of content, format, and production of SSSR publications. The Committee shall also oversee the schedule of publications. C.2.2.5 Archives. The Chair shall ensure that archival issues of SSSR publications are stored and maintained. C.2.2.6 Reprints. The Chair shall act on requests to reprint materials from SSSR publications. A set of terms which shall be available upon request shall govern the Chair's actions. In addition, the Chair shall ensure that complimentary reprints of SSR articles are sent to first authors. C.2.2.7 Advertisement. The Committee, acting on the advice of the current editors, shall make final publication decisions regarding advertisements. C.2.3.1 Composition. If more than one person is to share the editorial duties for a SSSR publication, one person shall be named as Editor. The Editor must be a member of SSSR. C.2.3.2 Appointment and Term of Office. Editors shall be appointed by the President acting upon advice of the Publication Committee and with approval of the Board. SSR editors shall serve a three-year term; i.e. three years of publications. The President may choose to extend an editor’s term for an additional one to three years. C.2.3.3 Appointment Procedure. Vacancy announcements shall be made at least one year before a vacancy occurs. A new editor shall be appointed at least nine months before assuming the editorship. Applicants shall send a letter of interest to the Publications Committee Chair who shall reply with a list of Editorship roles and responsibilities and a set of procedures for formal application. Next, the Chair shall send Committee members copies of the applications to be rank ordered, and a rank-ordered list of qualified candidates and supporting materials shall be mailed directly to the President. Based on the information and rankings provided by the Committee, the President shall select a candidate and request that Board members express their opinions on that choice. Taking the Board’s views into account, the President may choose to submit an alternate choice for Board consultation, or may decide that the original candidate should be selected. Finally, the President shall notify the new Editor of the appointment. C.2.3.4 Roles/Responsibilities of SSSR Editorships C.2.3.4.1 General.
The editor shall do the following: In the event that the Editor of SSR wishes to submit a manuscript, the Publications Chair will select a member of the SSR Editorial Board to serve as the action editor, who will be solely and independently responsible for soliciting peer reviews and making all editorial decisions regarding the submitted paper. The fact of the action-editor’s having done so will be noted in the journal if the article is accepted for publication. Editors will adhere to rules in existence at the time of their appointment. They may choose to adopt policies passed during their tenure. C.2.3.4.2 Editorial Advisory Board
The editor shall do the following: C.2.3.4.3 Review Process
The editor shall perform the following tasks in a timely fashion: C.2.3.4.4 Production Activities
The editor shall do the following: C.2.3.4.5 Article Reference The editor shall include the text of the full reference for each article on the first page of the article. C.2.4.1 Acknowledgment. All republished material must include a full bibliographic citation and the statement "Reprinted with the permission of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading and (the first authors' name)." C.2.4.2 Author's Own Work. Authors do not need to request permission to reprint their own material. Such permission is granted automatically, and no fee will be charged. C.2.4.3 Reprinting Fee. No fee is required of not-for-profit publishers. A $50.00 fee is required for commercial publishers for each article. The fee is payable to SSSR and not the authors. C.2.4.4 Limitations. C.2.4.4.1 Permission is required to reprint any graphic or tabular material and any portion of a passage consisting of 100 words or more. C.2.4.4.2 The copyright is not transferred by a permission to reprint. C.2.4.4.3 Permission to reprint is granted only for one edition of the new publication; future editions require new permissions. Permission is granted for world publication. C.2.4.4.4 In general, no more than 25% of a book of readings may consist of SSSR copyrighted materials. Upon request, exceptions may be made by SSSR. C.2.4.4.5 Requests. Requests should include full bibliographic information regarding the proposed material to be reprinted and a statement of the intended use of the material. Request should be addressed to the Publications Chair of the SSSR. C.3.1 The Chair of the Membership Committee is the Past-President, as specified in the By-Laws, and the three members of this committee are the three elected members of the Board. C.4.1 All members of the Awards Committee must be voting members of SSSR, and will normally include the three elected members of the SSSR board, plus the most recent recipient(s) of the award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions. C.4.2 Each of the three elected members of the SSSR board is expected to serve on this committee for each of the three years of her or his terms as elected board member. C.4.3 The fourth slot on the committee will commence with the announcement of the new recipient(s) of the Distinguished Scientific Contributions award and expire with the announcement of the next recipient(s) of this award. C.4.4 In the event that any committee member is unable to complete her or his term of membership, the President of the SSSR will appoint a substitute for the remainder of the displaced member's term. C.4.5 The Chair of the Award Committee will be the elected board member with two years to serve, and will be responsible for representing the committee before the SSSR Board. C.4.6 Active members of the Award Committee are ineligible to receive the awards for which the committee is responsible. C.5.0 Selection and Announcement of Award Recipients C.5.1 Nominations for the award will be solicited every other year, both through the mail and at the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading. The purpose of the nomination solicitation is to ensure that the nominee pool is representative of the interests and values of the membership and is not prematurely or inadvertently narrowed by the Award Committee. C.5.2 Recommended recipients for the awards will be selected from the nominee pool through deliberation by the Award Committee and submitted to the SSSR board for approval. C.5.3 After approval by the board, each recommended recipient will be contacted so that her or his willingness to accept the award, given full understanding of the award’s terms and conditions, can be ascertained. C.5.4 Announcement of an award is contingent on both approval by the SSSR Board and an indication of acceptance by the recommended recipient. C.5.5 Prior membership in the society is not a requirement for award recipients. However, any awardee who is not a member will automatically be entered on the membership roll and will receive dues notices beginning in the third year thereafter. C.5.6 The Awards committee is responsible for the design of the nominations forms and for ensuring that they are received by the SSSR office in time for proper dissemination.
President: Hugh Catts (2010, 2011)
Treasurer: Carol Connor (2009, 2010)
Chair: Richard K. Olson (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
Chair: Maggie Snowling (2010, 2011)
Chair: Nenagh Kemp (2010) E.1.0 Outstanding Scientific Contribution
Keith Rayner and George McConkie 1995
John Carroll 1996 E.3.0 Distinguished Scientific Contribution
Keith Stanovich 2000 Ron Carver 2004
Rebecca Betjemann 2009
1st annual meeting New Orleans 1994 |
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