Abstract
A position paper (PP) should establish a unified voice in areas where controversy occurs based upon multiple practices and/or therapeutic choices. Typically, a position paper should elucidate the knowledge gap, followed by an evidence-based review of options, leading to an “endorsed position.” A position paper should represent more than the opinion or consensus of the authors but should present current opinions and practices supported by the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES). Accordingly, position papers should require the approval of an expert group of WSES and in parallel be presented at an annual meeting prior to submission for publication.It is important that a unified approach for drafting of position papers be established and endorsed by WSES in order to establish credibility and prevent misunderstandings during a smooth transition to publication.The purpose of this article is to suggest a uniform process for the development of WSES guidelines.
Highlights
The introduction should clearly define the topic and indicate the existing knowledge gaps
Development of PP The idea for a PP may be initiated by any member of World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) and should be submitted to the Board of Directors, who can provide guidance, feedback, and potential collaborations which may benefit the process
Either the WSES board or individual members with specific interest may lead to the appointment of the lead author and panel of experts/working group (WG)
Summary
A position paper (PP) is a written statement from an organization that discusses a contemporary clinical problem and suggests an established and agreed upon approach to this problem by the organization. Since a PP will generally involve extensive collaboration of many contributors, the best way to ensure delineation of responsibility is to divide topics into various sections, with establishment of a section author who will be responsible for writing the particular section where their work has focused. These authors will generally be responsible for presentations at the annual meeting relating to their particular section of the PP. This plan, as outlined, serves to ethically include all individuals who actively participate in the work; it should be emphasized that others who have little to no input should not be included
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