Court and Committees: Guidelines for authors
The purpose of this guide is to provide advice to those drafting papers for Court and
Committees on how to create successful papers and on using the new templates.
Court and Committee Papers
Successful Court and Committee papers are succinct, tailored and relevant to the
audience, clear in what they are asking Court or the Committee to do and simple and
accessible, enabling the reader to understand the main points quickly and easily.
Well-written papers will enable Court and Committee members to make informed
decisions for the benefit of the whole institution.
General principles







Well-written, in good clear English. For example abbreviations should be
written out in full when used the first time.
Consistent in layout and style, use the Court and Committee paper
template and standard font – arial 12.
Clear on what the Court or Committee is being asked to do. Normally the
action will be for information/consideration or for approval: papers must still be
standalone giving all the information and analysis necessary for the Court or
Committee to be able to reach a decision. The action will be supported by a
clear direction through a recommendation.
Transparent, where possible papers should classed as open (in terms of
Freedom of Information legislation).
Concise. Papers should be as brief as possible. If necessary, further detail
can be included as an appendix or be uploaded onto the Court and
Committee wiki with a link to the wiki url. Court and Committees often receive
a large number of papers. It is important that papers are as focused as
possible and are no longer than 6 pages.
Relevant and tailored to the audience – the paper should be tailored to the
specific Committee it is going to. For advice about what might be the more
appropriate Committee to discuss your topic, please contact Court Services or
Committee Secretaries.
Timely – ideally papers should go to Court and Committees when the
information is fresh and/or a decision needs to be made by that Court or
Committee meeting. Please alert the Court or Committee Secretary as soon
as you know that you need to put a paper forward so that space can be
secured on the agenda.
New templates
To assist paper authors, a paper template has been approved with effect from 1
August 2014 for the University of Court, all Standing Committees of Court, and
where possible Thematic Committees of Court and all other Committees and groups,
including the Central Management Group. This contains the key headings and
essential information that needs to be conveyed to the Committees or Group.
1
New templates have been introduced, replacing the previous cover sheet and paper
format. The purpose is: to add value, avoid duplication of effort, provide clarity and
aid the decision-making process and achieve a more focused approach on the key
issues.
General tips
Impact – to increase the impact of your paper use: active verbs, short and succinct
sentences, plain English, headings and bullet points. Focusing on the purpose of the
report will help.
Equality and diversity – in all cases equality and diversity implications should be
given due consideration (this is a legal requirement). Depending on the
proposal/issue, it may not be necessary to carry out a full-scale Equality Impact
Assessment – but any equality implications and measures taken should be detailed
in the paper. More information can be seen here:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/equality-diversity/impact-assessment
Freedom of Information – the University follows a policy of openness and
transparency, and where possible papers should be open. Where it is not possible,
for example for matters of commercial sensitivity or public interest, then the paper
will be closed. Please note – that if closed key elements of the paper (description,
action requested, recommendation and equality and diversity sections) will be
published. Reasons for keeping papers closed will normally fall under one of the
following categories:
 Disclosure would substantially prejudice a programme of research
 Disclosure would substantially prejudice the commercial interests of any
person or organisation
 Disclosure would substantially prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs
 Disclosure would constitute a breach of confidence actionable in court
 Disclosure would constitute a breach of the Data Protection Act
For more information about Freedom of Information exemptions please see:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.83357!/fileManager/FoI%20Exemptions.pdf
Risk Management - the paper should outline the risks associated with the proposal
(including sometimes the risk of not acting) and ideally the management processes.
This is supported by the University’s Statement of Risk Policy and Risk Appetite.
Generally any proposal should be in line with the tolerances for risk in specific
activities as set out in the Appetite. If it is not – then this should be flagged up in the
paper.
Resource implications
If the paper has resource implications these should be outlined. Normally proposals
are expected to be met from within existing budgets and should be approved by the
relevant College/Support Group budget holder, additional items being considered as
part of the planning round. If the resource goes beyond the amount authorised then it
2
should go to the relevant Committee or Court for approval (see the Delegated
Authorisation Schedule).
Committee Reports (for Secretaries & Conveners)
These reports are vital for providing assurance to members of Court and Standing
Committees or other Committees. They are also a way of quickly informing Court or
a Committee of key discussions and decisions made by the Committee.
Straightforward decisions requiring approval by Court or a Committee can be
included in the Committee Report, for example recommendations to Court from the
Nominations Committee on appointing new members of Committees or other bodies.
General principles




Short (ideally one page), with a link to the full minutes accessible on the wiki.
Informed by the Convener – what are the key points Court or the Committee
need to be aware of/take away from this report?
Use the template. There is no need for a cover sheet but reports should use
the appropriate template.
Only go to the parent Committee – normally Committee reports should only
go to one other Committee. In the case of Thematic Committees these should
be reported to Standing Committees. In the case of Standing Committees
these should report directly to Court. Standing Committees will report any
major discussions arising out of the Thematic Committees and should provide
a link on the Committee report to Court to their minutes.
If under any doubt about what falls under each Committee and requires their
attention please call Court Services. The Terms of Reference for each Committee,
the Court’s Statement of Primary Responsibilities and Items reserved to Court will
also provide a guide.
Reporting structure
The following Committees submit reports to Audit and Risk Committee:
 Risk Management Committee
The following Committees submit reports to Policy and Resources Committee:
 Estates Committee
 Investment Committee
 People Committee
The following Committees submit reports to Knowledge Strategy Committee:
 Information Technology Committee
 Library Committee
 University Collections Advisory Committee
Some additional reports may also be required on specific topics such as health &
safety and IT.
3
Court and Committee agendas (for Secretaries & Conveners)
Agendas are important for making the best use of Court and Committee time.
Agendas should be issue-based with priority substantive items appearing at the start
of the meeting, followed by more routine items and then with items for information or
formal approval, where discussion is not expected.
To provide focus about what the Court or a Committee is expected to do, under each
item follows an action and who the item is to be presented by. This will normally be
one of the following terms:
 To consider
 To approve
 To note
 To receive (this is normally when a presentation is being made)
Please use the agenda template for your Committee, an example is also available.
For further information please contact Dr Katherine Novosel (Head of Court
Services, Tel: 50 9143) or Mrs Evelyn Dunton (Court Services Officer Tel: 50 2092)
Court Services
July 2014
4