The Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies (CFAS)
Authorship and Publication Policy
The following document is the authorship policy for CFAS. The strategy is to maximise publicity for
the study and also to publish in a way that recognises the depth of effort throughout the length of
the study. This policy document will be distributed to all current researchers and to any researchers
wishing to undertake analysis using CFAS tissue/data. Any papers will be expected to follow these
guidelines before circulation to the MRC CFAS members prior to submission of the paper to journals.
The document contains aspects of authorship, publicity and acknowledgements within MRC CFAS.
Authorship Policy
There are two situations that will arise.
1.
2.
Analysis of aims of the original core research using the core data (all interviews undertaken in
the individuals selected for the first wave).
New analysis of secondary aims either from the original research or new data.
Main CFAS papers
The original aims of the main study (MRC programme grant application 1989) were to:
Estimate the prevalence and the incidence of cognitive decline and dementia and the range of
variation of those two measures throughout the country.
Determine the natural history of dementia, in particular the rate of progression of cognitive decline
including the distribution of the interval between the identification of cognitive impairment and death.
Evaluate the degree of disability associated with cognitive decline, and the service needs this disability
generates.
Determine the contribution of different underlying pathologies to the rates of dementia and the
geographical variation in these rates, and to the burden of disability.
Identify factors associated with differing rates of cognitive decline and with the risk of dementia.
Authorship for these aims will consist of MRC CFAS as first author together with the writing
committee as currently defined for example:
MRC CFAS, Able A, Bloggs B and Colleague C.
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Neuropathology papers
The original aims of the neuropathology study (MRC special project grant application 1991) were to:
Determine the prevalence and severity of pathological lesions in an unselected cohort of elderly
individuals with and without cognitive impairment.
Determine the frequency of specific pathological diagnoses in the cognitively impaired sample.
Correlate severity of specific pathologies with patterns of cognition, function and behaviour in life
independently of clinical and pathological diagnostic categories.
Authorship for these aims will consist of MRC CFAS Neuropathology group as the first author
together with the writing committee as currently defined for example:
MRC CFAS Neuropathology, Able A, Blogs B and Colleague C
All other analysis using MRC CFAS data, blood or brain resource
Authorship of papers should consist of MRC CFAS holding the "senior author" position within the
paper for example:
Able B, Cando D, Expert F and MRC CFAS.
For both situations above: The address for CFAS within the paper itself would be the website address
www.cfas.ac.uk, where the existing participants and the historical contributors from each of the
centres would be mentioned.
The only exceptions to these rules are where MRC CFAS is part of a multi-study paper where the
authorship currently proposed would be inappropriate. In this case MRC CFAS should be included as
a searchable keyword.
Publicity
To obtain maximum publicity for the study, publications need to be easy to find. The study must be
mentioned in the abstract and where possible the title. MRC CFAS is our preferred title therefore ALL
PAPERS regardless of the appropriate authorship would include one of the three following phrases
within the abstract:

The paper reports on analysis of the MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (MRC CFAS) data
version xx

Study participants for this paper were originally part of the MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing
study (MRC CFAS).

The methodology developed within this paper was validated using the MRC Cognitive Function
and Ageing study (MRC CFAS).
The only exception to this rule would be where many studies are included within the paper itself and
to mention them all would be impossible. MRC CFAS would then be included in the searchable
keyword (and also within the acknowledgements).
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Acknowledgements
CFAS I: The MRC CFA study is supported by major awards from the Medical Research Council:
Research Grant [G9901400] and the UK Department of Health.
CFAS II: Please acknowledge the Medical Research Council: Research Grant [G0601022], support
from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) comprehensive clinical research networks
(CLRN’s) in West Anglia and Trent, and the Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease Research
Network (DeNDRoN) in Newcastle. CFAS is a member of the collaboration for leadership in applied
health research and care for the east of England (CLAHRC EoE), the Cambridge Biomedical Research
Centre infrastructures, Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County NHS Primary care trusts, and
the UK NIHR Biomedical Research centre for ageing and age-related disease award to NewcastleUpon-Tyne hospital foundation trust.
If applicable to the paper alongside any author specific acknowledgements see examples taken from
existing papers below:
Data only papers.
CFAS I: We are indebted to the local GPs and their staff for their support and assistance. We warmly
thank the interviewers. Thanks are especially due to the residents of East Cambridgeshire, Liverpool,
Ynys Mon, Dwyfor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham and Oxford for their continuing participation
in the study.
CFAS II: We thank the participants, their families, the general practitioners and their staff, and the
primary care trusts for their cooperation and support. We thank the CFAS II fieldwork interviewers
at Cambridge, Nottingham and Newcastle
Theory only papers
MRC CFAS is supported by major awards from the Medical Research Council and the Department of
Health.
Neuropathology papers.
The study was supported in part by: a Special Project grant and a Programme grant from the MRC
and the Department of Health; the UK NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Ageing and Age - related
Disease Award to the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust; the Cambridge Brain Bank is
supported by the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre; The Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough NIHR CLAHRC; Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust; University of Sheffield and
the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; The Thomas Willis Oxford Brain Collection,
supported by the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre; The Walton Centre NHS Foundation
Trust, Liverpool. We would like to acknowledge the essential contribution of the liaison officers, the
general practitioners, their staff, and nursing and residential home staff. We are grateful to our
respondents and their families for their generous gift to medical research, which has made this study
possible.
Blood resource papers.
The epidemiological investigations were funded by the Medical Research Council as part of the
multicentre Cognitive Function and Ageing study (MRC CFA study).
The idea is not that these exact phrases are required, but the people within the phrases are thanked.
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