Overview
Manuscripts, abstracts, and presentations using REGARDS data are encouraged and must follow established policies to ensure scientific integrity, equitable authorship, and timely publication. All uses of REGARDS data (including by ancillary studies) require P&P review and approval of (1) a manuscript proposal and (2) penultimate draft of the manuscript to be submitted. General questions about the process should be directed to:
Objectives
The P&P policies are designed to leverage the strengths of the scientific findings from REGARDS data by:
- Assisting investigators in designing analytic plans and interpreting data
- Promoting high-quality scientific publications and presentations
- Maintaining scientific accuracy and integrity
- Avoiding duplication and overlap of analyses
Manuscript Proposal Requirements
A manuscript proposal is required for all papers and abstracts using REGARDS data; this applies to local as well as national abstract submissions. Proposals are submitted on the REGARDS proposal tracking system: https://dcsapps.ad.uab.edu/Regards
Review Process
- Proposals are logged and screened for completeness and overlap.
- The P&P Committee meets every 2 weeks to review proposals and manuscripts.
- Possible outcomes of the review process are: approval, conditional approval, or revision with resubmission.
- Approved proposals are tracked centrally for progress. Manuscripts without progress for 3 years are withdrawn.
Main vs. Ancillary Studies
- Main studies analyze data collected under the original REGARDS protocol.
- Ancillary studies involve additional funding and follow the same proposal and approval process, with additional acknowledgement requirements.
Location of Analyses
Analyses may be conducted:
- Centrally – Investigators will work with the UAB REGARDS Analysts team. This should be done before the manuscript proposal is submitted to allow the analysts to have input on analytic study design. Investigators will not get a copy of the dataset but will receive manuscript ready tables.
- Locally - Investigators receive a copy of the dataset after providing appropriate local IRB approval. Identifiable data can not be shared.
Writing Groups and Authorship
- Writing groups typically often include REGARDS investigators to assist with interpretation of findings.
- The writing group chair is usually the first author and is responsible for study conduct, timelines, authorship order, and communication with REGARDS.
Manuscript Submissions to the P&P
Prior to submission to journal, the manuscript must be submitted to the P&P Committee.
- All listed co‑authors must approve the manuscript prior to submission.
- If an approved co-author is no longer available to contribute, or a new author is added, the writing group chair must provide a cover memo request with explanation for P&P approval.
- All submitted manuscripts must comply with the NIH Public Access Policy.
- Upon publication, authors must submit a PDF to or link to the final article and provide the PMC reference number when available to
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Acknowledgements and Reporting
- Approved REGARDS acknowledgement language must be included in all manuscripts. See REGARDS website for acknowledgement language.
Ancillary studies may require additional acknowledgements.
Version 5.0 - May 2026