Publications Policy

The Global Asthma Network (GAN) has published papers and documents related to the research and advocacy activities of GAN. These are listed in the publication page on the GAN website.

The GAN Publications Policy will follow that of ISAAC (http://isaac.auckland.ac.nz/publications/publicationspolicy.html)

Global GAN centres

Centres that register with GAN, who follow the protocols and processes, undertake the appropriate data checks and methodology checks (from details contained in the centre report) and who meet the criteria of the GAN Steering Group, will be eligible for inclusion in GAN global publications, if their data is included in each paper.

Authorship of global papers

Normally, articles will be written by a writing group with a designated lead author as defined by the GAN Steering Group. Authorship of the global papers therefore will be the writing group “and the GAN Study Group” which will be defined for each paper (dependent on which centres are included in each paper) and all Principal Investigators from the included centres will be named at the end of each paper. Thus each Principal Investigator included in the global papers can cite their authorship in these papers.

Individual GAN centres

Each Principal Investigator for centres that fit the criteria above for inclusion in GAN is sent a final checked copy of the data and centre report. Centres own their own data and are free to publish their data independently. They are entitled to use the term GAN or Global Asthma Network in the title of their publications and state they are part of GAN in the methodology section because they have the approval of the GAN Steering Group and were part of the GAN collaboration. Any comparison studies involving 2 or more GAN countries or regions will need approval by the GAN Steering Group.

Use of GAN materials by non-GAN Investigators

Any researcher that is not formally associated with GAN can use GAN materials (questionnaires, tools and manuals) for their presentations or research as long as they make it explicitly clear that this material is the intellectual property of GAN and is referenced appropriately. GAN or the Global Asthma Network must not be in the title of any presentation or publication. It must be made clear to journal editors and readers that your presentation/research is not part of the GAN collaboration. This will avoid any unnecessary confusion between a GAN and non-GAN study.

Translations of GAN questionnaires

The GAN data centre is not authorized to release any GAN translations of the English version to non-GAN investigators as these are the intellectual property of those that undertook the translation. Any enquiries should be directed to the GAN website and these will be directed to the appropriate investigator who may or may not approve the use of these for non-GAN research. A list of languages used will be available on the GAN website.

Data sharing

ISAAC data are already deposited for wider use. The study protocol, including a recommended informed consent form and statistical analysis plan, are in the public domain ( https://beta.ukdataservice.ac.uk/datacatalogue/studies/study?id=8131). The GAN Phase I data, including de-identified individual participant data, will be made available on the GAN website within 12 months of the publication of all GAN Phase I analyses. Access will require a formal request through the website, a written proposal, and a signed data access agreement.

For further clarification of these matters please contact Philippa Ellwood (p.ellwood@auckland.ac.nz).