History

In the late 19th century, failures in railroad equipment jeopardized public safety and posed the threat of bringing commerce to a standstill. Recognizing the need for a standardized method of testing the steel used to manufacture railroad components, a group of 20 engineers and professors met on June 16, 1898 and formed the American Section of the International Association for Testing Materials, the forerunner of ASTM International.

Organization

Organized a century ago, ASTM is one of the world’s largest standards developing organizations. An independent, not-for-profit organization, ASTM serves as a forum for producers, users, consumers, and those having a general interest (representatives of government and academia) to meet on common ground and develop voluntary, consensus standards.

From the work of over 140 standards-writing technical committees, ASTM publishes standard test methods, specifications, practices, guides, classifications, and terminologies. ASTM’s standards development activities encompass metals, paints, plastics, textiles, petroleum, construction, energy, the environment, consumer products, medical services and devices, electronics, and many other areas. With more than 30,000 volunteer members representing 150 countries, ASTM publishes more than 12,000 standards each year in the 85 volumes of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards and on-line products. These standards and related information are distributed and used worldwide.

The basic organization of ASTM is illustrated in FIGURE 1.

Figure 1ASTM Organizational Structure

Board of Directors

The governing body of ASTM is the Board of Directors, whose members are elected by vote of the entire membership via ballot. The 25-member Board meets twice a year at ASTM Headquarters and in various international locations.

Standing Committees

The Board has empowered special standing committees to perform important functions for the Society as a whole.

The Committee on Technical Committee Operations (COTCO) develops and maintains the Regulations Governing ASTM Technical Committees and acts upon recommended changes to the Regulations. COTCO is responsible for the interpretation and enforcement of these regulations, excluding actions on standards. The Committee acts to resolve jurisdictional disputes with respect to scopes of ASTM technical committees. COTCO develops and recommends means for achieving the most efficient operation of the technical committees as related to their scope, structure, development, and planning.

The Committee on Standards (COS) develops, maintains, and interprets the Form & Style for ASTM Standards and reviews all requests from technical committees for exceptions to this document. COS is responsible for the review and approval of all technical committee recommendations for actions on standards. COS verifies that the procedural requirements of the Society’s regulations and its criteria for due process have been satisfied. The Committee acts to resolve jurisdictional disputes with respect to standards.

The Committee on Publications (COP) advises the Board of Directors on the formulation of publications policy. COP is responsible for the publications program of the Society with the exception of acceptance criteria for the publication of ASTM standards. The Committee may, with the concurrence of the Board of Directors, initiate, continue, expand, or terminate periodicals, journals, series, or other continuing publications with the exception of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards.

The Committee on Certification Programs (CCP) advises the SEI Board of Directors on the formulation of certification program policy and approves/dissolves ASTM/SEI certification programs.

All standing committees report to the Board of Directors.

Technical Committees

Within the formal structure of the Society, the technical committees exist as semiautonomous groups. The Board is responsible for approving the committees’ titles and scopes. Under the purview of the approved scope, the committees are organized into subcommittees and task groups. Each committee develops its own bylaws, which are subject to approval by COTCO. Committees elect their main committee officers in accordance with the nomination and election procedures outlined in the Regulations. Committees conduct subcommittee and main committee/Society review ballots on standards actions and are subject to a procedural review by the Committee on Standards before final approval and publication by ASTM.

Technical subcommittees address specific subjects within the committee scope. Subcommittees may create sections and task groups. The executive subcommittee provides leadership and direction to the main committee. The composition of each executive committee is defined within the respective committee bylaws. Administrative subcommittees provide assistance to the technical subcommittees and may be established in areas such as editorial review of standards, terminology, government interface, international activities, strategic planning, symposia, awards, and liaison with other technical committees and outside organizations.

Membership in technical committees is open to all interested individuals and organizations. Within technical committees, membership is classified by voting interest (company or organization) and must be balanced as defined within the ASTM Regulations. Technical committees usually meet twice a year, either independently or at a committee week, in cities throughout the United States and abroad. Subcommittee and committee members are obliged to respond to ballots on standards actions. Each technical committee is assigned a staff manager who is responsible for the management functions and coordination of administrative services.

Headquarters Assistance

ASTM staff exists to serve the needs of the Society and is ready to help ASTM committee officers and members at any time.

Technical Committee Operations Division

Staff Manager: strategic matters concerning the technical committee, headquarters resources, Society policy, new activities, and other administrative issues

Administrative Assistant: status of standards and ballots, requests for meeting schedules, and virtual meeting support

Symposia Manager: planning and development of symposia and workshops

Interlaboratory Studies Director: registration and administration of interlaboratory studies being conducted by technical committees, and assist with composition of research report and precision and bias statements

Publications, Marketing, and Information Technology Division

Standards Editor: information on the volume of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards in which your committee’s standards are published, regarding editorial changes, publication status, and Form & Style questions

Managing Editor, Books and Journals: develops publication ideas for book publication and oversees the development and administrative functions for the journals and STPs

Director of Corporate Communications: production and distribution of news releases, programs, trade show booth materials, and general publicity and promotion for the Society

Editor-in-Chief – Standardization News: submission of magazine articles, news items, and “Letters to the Editor”

Customer Service: copies of research reports, archives, and general questions on standards

Certification, Training, and Proficiency Testing

Technical and Professional Training Director: programs designed to provide courses of continuing education in performance, use and application of ASTM standards and related information, as well as managing personnel certificate programs

Proficiency Testing Programs Director: programs designed to provide participating laboratories with a statistical quality assurance tool enabling laboratories to compare their performance in the use of ASTM methods against other laboratories worldwide

Certification, Vice President: researches, evaluates, and initiates new and existing products and personnel certification programs as well as declaration of conformity programs

New Activities

The growth of new and existing ASTM activities is essential for the organization to remain healthy and relevant. Management of new activities can be time consuming because attention to detail and ample communication with industry leaders is critical. It is important that the committee devote significant effort to identify opportunities and effectively manage the development of new activities to ensure that ASTM meets the evolving needs of industry.

Interlaboratory Studies Program (ILS)

Precision and bias statements that accurately report the repeatability and reproducibility of tests play a crucial role in the continued success of ASTM's test methods. Recognizing that generating valid data is essential to creating precision and bias statements, ASTM has made a significant commitment to help its technical committees do this important work by establishing an Interlaboratory Studies Program.

The ILS program aids in the development of useful and relevant precision and bias statements in ASTM International test methods. It achieves this by providing staff support and financial resources to technical committees by offering the following value-added administrative services: assisting with the identification of participating laboratories; overseeing the generation and distribution of samples; collecting data; and generating precision and bias statements and research reports.

By establishing the ILS program, ASTM is acknowledging the importance of statistically valid data to the technical underpinnings of ASTM test methods. The ILS program facilitates the continued development of high-quality precision and bias statements, ultimately leading to even greater value in the test methods used so heavily by major industries around the world.

Contact ILS@astm.org for assistance.

To register an ILS program with ASTM, please use the following link http://myastm.astm.org/CUSTOMERS/ils.cgi

For more information on the Interlaboratory Study Program, you can visit our website: http://www.astm.org/ILS/index.html

Symposia and Workshops

A committee, subcommittee, or task group may elect to sponsor a symposium or workshop on a particular area of interest. Symposia and workshops provide an opportunity for members and non-members to present their research findings and exchange information. Often the discussion identifies critical areas facing today’s emerging technologies and forms the technical basis for the development of new and revised standards.

Symposia involve speakers presenting technical papers which results in a Selected Technical Paper (STP), an online and printed peer-reviewed publication for the international scientific and engineering community. A minimum of an 18-month lead time is required to ensure: securing hotel space, developing adequate publicity, and executing proper planning of the event; 24-month lead time is recommended for planning symposia held overseas.

Workshops offer the same forum as symposia for presentation of technical information, but papers are not required to be submitted for ASTM publication.

The decision to hold a symposium or workshop depends on the needs of the technical committee. A workshop may be more appropriate for reports on work in progress, while a symposium might offer the opportunity to describe completed work or the investigation of new areas for standardization.

Publications

ASTM publishes hundreds of technical publications in formats to meet your needs including journals, Selected Technical Papers (STPs), compilations, manuals, monographs, data series, adjuncts, reference radiographs, and more. These publications are available in print, online, or combinations. Information more suitable as software is also a publication option. Committees should be aware of the various publication options available to them:

The Geotechnical Testing Journal (GTJ): The purpose of the Geotechnical Testing Journal is to provide a high-quality publication that informs the profession of new developments in soil and rock testing and related fields; to provide a forum for the exchange of information, particularly that which leads to the development of new test procedures; and to stimulate active participation of the profession in the work of ASTM International Committee D18 on Soil and Rock and related information.

The Journal of Testing and Evaluation (JOTE): This flagship ASTM journal is a multi-disciplinary forum for the applied sciences and engineering. JOTE presents new technical information, derived from field and laboratory testing, on the performance, quantitative characterization, and evaluation of materials. Papers present new methods and data along with critical evaluations; report users' experience with test methods and results of interlaboratory testing and analysis; and stimulate new ideas in the fields of testing and evaluation.

Advances in Civil Engineering Materials (ACEM): The purpose of the ACEM provides high-quality papers in a broad range of topics relating to the properties and performance of civil engineering materials. Materials that are covered, but not limited to, in this journal are concrete, asphalt, steel, polymers and polymetric composites, and wood for use in civil engineering applications.

Materials Performance and Characterization (MPC): This is ASTM’s premiere materials journal. MPC covers all aspects of material processing, structure, properties, and performance in engineering systems. It provides papers on both the theoretical and practical aspects of the processing, structure, properties, and performance of materials used in mechanical, transportation, aerospace, energy, and medical devices.

Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing Systems (SSMS): This journal fosters transdisciplinary research that crosses the boundaries of information science, systems engineering and engineering design, manufacturing, data science, and product life cycle with a focus on how to make manufacturing systems smarter and sustainable.

Manual Series—concise presentation of principles, rules, directions, and action in a practical manner that serves as a ready reference for the field or lab.

Monograph Series—a scholarly and detailed documented treatise covering a well-defined field of interest.

Data Series—wholly or mostly tabulated books that contain numerical/graphical information or mathematical relationships.

The Committee on Publications (COP) always welcomes proposals from committees for new publication ideas. For more information on proposal criteria, contact the Managing Editor of Books and Journals.

Technical and Professional Training

Many users of ASTM standards need more information than is available simply from reading the standards. To help meet this need, ASTM established the Technical and Professional Training (TPT) program to provide courses of continuing education in the performance, use, and application of ASTM standards. Since 1984, more than 20,000 individuals have attended ASTM classes in over thirty-five subject areas. A listing of current offerings is shown every month in Standardization News and on the ASTM website, www.astm.org.

Committee officers and other interested members are encouraged to submit proposals for new course subjects to the Director, Technical and Professional Training. Formal committee consensus is not required, but the appropriate committee group should be in general agreement with the course developers. Ideas for proposals may be discussed at any appropriate ASTM forum, including executive and technical subcommittees, task groups, or informal groups of individuals within a committee. These groups may provide guidance and review when appropriate.

Before submitting a proposal, contact the TPT director to obtain a copy of the Course Development Guidelines. Successful proposals will address the issues outlined in these guidelines. Proposals should be submitted at least eight months prior to the proposed course date to allow for evaluation and adequate planning and publicity. Staff will carefully review all proposals for feasibility and probability of success. The TPT program must be self-supporting. In general, experience has shown that successful courses are based on well-established and widely-used standards, involve two or fewer paid instructors who are enthusiastic about the course and committed to its success, are at least two days long, and can normally be given more than once a year.

ASTM staff provides full administrative support in producing course materials, developing publicity, obtaining necessary facilities, providing course supplies such as copies of standards and other publications, establishing a budget, student registration, and on-site administration. The course instructors receive consulting fees for course development and instruction and are reimbursed for travel-related expenses.

Once a proposal is accepted, the TPT staff, working with the course developers and instructors, is responsible for course development. Instructors for past courses have been college professors, consultants, engineers, and recent retirees eager to stay active.

For more information, contact the Director, Technical and Professional Training.

Proficiency Testing

In 1993, ASTM expanded its services through the establishment of the Proficiency Testing Program (PTP).

ASTM PTPs are designed to provide participating laboratories with a statistical quality assurance tool enabling laboratories to compare their performance in conducting test methods within their laboratories against other laboratories worldwide. The focus of the programs is on the use of ASTM methods, the generation of data to assist ASTM technical committees in the review and updating of existing standards and the potential generation of new test methods.

Technical direction for the programs is provided by the appropriate technical committees with ASTM providing the administrative support, including program marketing, coordination of obtaining test sample material, issuing of contracts for sample preparation and distribution, and generating final test summary reports.

Program participants receive different samples for each test cycle, electronic data forms, and test instructions. Laboratories perform the tests using specified ASTM methods or other methods normally conducted by their laboratory. Test results are returned to ASTM and final reports are generated and returned to the program’s participants and sponsoring technical committees. Final reports are provided in electronic format. The reports contain the following information:

• Each participating laboratory’s test results (coded)

• Statistical analysis of test data

• Charts plotting test results versus laboratory code

• Other pertinent information

The summary reports provide participating laboratories with:

• a meaningful and useful quality control tool enabling labs to monitor strengths and weaknesses of laboratory performance

• a periodic comparison of test results and calculated statistical parameters with other laboratories worldwide

• a program enabling laboratories to demonstrate proficiency in the specified analysis to meet proficiency testing requirements of laboratory accreditation

The programs have achieved worldwide participation. Participants in the programs are required to pay a fee to provide for financially self-supporting programs.

Accelerating Standards development

There are sometimes reasons for accelerating the development and approval of a new standard, such as a safety situation, regulatory requirement, or promoting international commerce. ASTM has a rapid balloting system in place for such circumstances. Please consider the following tips that will help expedite the rapid balloting process:

Recognition of outstanding contribution helps motivate committee volunteers. Therefore, giving well-deserved awards is highly important. Each committee should have an active awards subcommittee that works with their staff manager and the ASTM awards coordinator to suitably recognize distinguished committee members. Additional information regarding the ASTM Awards Program may be found at www.astm.org/MEMBERSHIP/honorsawards.htm.

Society Awards

Award of Merit: The Award of Merit, which carries with it the honorary title of Fellow of ASTM, is the highest award given for service to the Society. Guidelines for the award are distributed annually to awards subcommittee chair and are also available from ASTM Staff and the ASTM website. A template for the award nomination is also available from the ASTM website. Nominations made by technical committees are reviewed annually by the Award of Merit Committee. Nominations must be scrupulously detailed and received by the ASTM awards coordinator by November 1. Presentations are made by the Board Chair of ASTM or a designated representative.

W.T. Cavanaugh Memorial Award: Established in 1987, this award honors W.T. Cavanaugh. Mr. Cavanaugh firmly established ASTM as the world leader in the development and dissemination of voluntary consensus standards during his service as Chief Executive Officer from 1970 until his death in 1985.

The W.T. Cavanaugh Memorial Award is granted to a person of widely recognized eminence in the voluntary standards system who may or may not be a member of ASTM. The title of Honorary Member is bestowed on recipients of the award. No more than two award recipients shall be named in a calendar year.

Other Society Awards: Other Society awards include the Charles B. Dudley Medal Award (which was established in 1925 and is in commemoration of the Society’s first President, Charles B. Dudley), the Journal of Testing and Evaluation Award, the Robert J. Painter Memorial Award, the ASTM International President’s Leadership Award, the Walter C. Voss Award, and the Werner H. Gumpertz Award. Rules and procedures for all Society awards are available from the awards coordinator and at www.astm.org/MEMBERSHIP/honorsawards.htm.

Committee Awards

Many technical committees have established additional awards to serve their needs in regard to recognition of significant contributions of its members. Technical committee awards represent the largest number of awards within ASTM. This is appropriate due to the fact that individual accomplishments within specific industries are most effectively rewarded by the technical committees representing those industries. Many of these awards are also Society recognized.

Award Supplement program

ASTM recognizes the value of the committee awards program and lends financial support through a yearly supplement program. To learn more about this program, contact your staff manager.

Many formats are available for the presentation to recipients, including walnut plaques, calligraphy certificates, acrylic awards, and medals. The committees can work with staff to determine the award format that meets their needs and budgets. More information is available by contacting the awards coordinator or the staff manager.

Planning Meetings

For all ASTM meetings, the Meetings Department is the sole authorized agent of the Society for researching sites, conducting site inspections, and negotiating and entering into contracts with hotels. Under no circumstances shall any committee officer or member contact a hotel to make arrangements for an ASTM meeting.

In order for the Meetings Department staff to effectively book a meeting, meeting sites should be selected about one year in advance. This also enables committee members to plan their schedules.

When planning committee meetings, it is important to estimate as precisely as possible the number, type, and size of meeting rooms needed and the sleeping rooms required. Estimates of the attendance at any special social functions are also needed. Staff managers will coordinate this information between the committee and the Meetings Department.

Committee meetings can be held at Committee Weeks or as independent meetings at or outside of ASTM Headquarters.

Conducting Meetings

The key to a successful meeting begins with the chair and his or her ability to use time efficiently, allowing for all interested individuals to participate in the standards development process. Because of the largely biannual nature of the typical ASTM committee meeting, it is crucial that the chair use this time effectively.

Agenda Preparation

After the information is gathered, the meeting agenda is prepared. The chair should contact the staff manager to see if he or she has any items to be included on the agenda. The use of an agenda ensures logical coverage of important business items while minimizing side issues and nonproductive discussion. The agenda is an indispensable organizational tool for running a meeting.

The agenda should be prepared and circulated in advance of the meeting, as well as posted to the “My Committees” page of the website. This is very important because it enables the subcommittee members to attend the meeting prepared to make decisions on specific actions. In addition, an agenda may create a specific interest in attending the meeting.

Agendas should include the background of each subject to be discussed and the goal statement for that subject. To adequately prepare the subcommittee members, it is important to include substantive and specific information. The length of time that will be spent discussing each subject should also be indicated. A sample agenda is shown in Figure 2.

Create My Agenda Tool: The "My Committees" page provides a tool that automatically creates a meeting agenda, Create My Agenda. The agenda is automatically prepopulated with information that is accumulated from the balloting and work item tracking systems with headings such as Membership Updates, Ballot Results, Outstanding Negatives Needing Resolution, and Standards Requiring Review. The agenda is generated as a Word document that you can edit as needed, then post for your committee members to see. Located under My Tools > Meetings, Minutes, Agendas > Create My Agenda

At this point in the meeting preparation, the chair should anticipate the procedures he or she will follow to resolve ballot items that will be discussed at the meeting. If the chair is unsure about the policies and procedures that might be involved, the staff manager should be consulted.

Other general information can be included as follows:

• Name of group and numerical designation

• Date, place, starting and ending time of meeting

• Call to order and call for proxy votes

• Approval of the previous meeting’s minutes and corrections

• Membership changes

• Special announcements

• Staff report on Headquarters activities of interest

• Reports from liaison members

• Reports from chair of subordinate groups

• Ballot reports

• Consideration of negative votes and comments on relevant Society, committee, and subcommittee ballot items

• Unfinished business not resolved or completed at previous meetings

• New business, such as action on negative votes ruled not related at the previous meeting

• Announcement of the date and location of the next meeting

• Adjournment (include scheduled time)

• Attachments (any written reports to be considered at the meeting)

FIGURE 2Sample Meeting Agenda

Correspondence

The chair must be prepared to respond to ASTM circular letters, general inquiries, and other correspondence after appropriate consultation with the membership or other committee officers and the staff manager.

Distribution Policies

Distribution of Committee Rosters: ASTM maintains the name, affiliation, mailing/email addresses, and telephone/fax numbers of the members of all main committees and subcommittees. ASTM uses this information for the distribution of technical committee information.

If requested, ASTM Headquarters may confirm whether or not an individual is a member of ASTM. ASTM may also distribute information related or of interest to a committee upon approval of the information by the subcommittee and/or main committee chair and the staff manager.

Posting of Ballot Results: For all main committee ballots and subcommittee ballots tallied by ASTM, a closing report is generated that summarizes the results of the ballot. This report includes a tally of affirmative, negative, and abstaining votes and a list of the members who voted negative or submitted comments. Negative votes and comments are also available in this report to members for review and consideration. Closing reports are available on the ASTM website. Information on how each individual member voted on a specific ballot is not for distribution. This practice applies to both technical and administrative ballots.

Membership Promotion

A focus on proactive membership promotion is vitally important to the continued health and vitality of an ASTM technical committee.

Membership Promotion can be used to:

• Attract new members who will be committee leaders in the future

• Increase technical expertise in a certain area

• Maintain or create a balance of interest

• Develop a new committee activity

The timing for the implementation of a membership promotion is fluid. When a need is identified and the promotion is properly designed, anytime is the right time. The goal of the promotion is to target as specific an audience as possible. This is often accomplished through a thorough review of existing sources such as conference/seminar attendees, professional and trade association technical committees, committee member contacts, and customer lists.

For additional ideas regarding membership promotion, contact your staff manager.

Publicity

The success of events, such as new standardization activities, interlaboratory testing programs, symposia, and workshops, often depends on adequate publicity. Prospective participants can become involved only if they are aware of the event. Furthermore, the principles of ASTM, as described in the Society bylaws, explicitly call for “timely and adequate notice of” and “opportunity for all affected interests to participate in” ASTM activities.

ASTM staff can assist in providing publicity. Available services include:

• Blast e-mailing of announcements to relevant ASTM committees and subcommittees.

• Standardization News articles mailed bimonthly to ASTM members and subscribers.

• eNews is a monthly electronic newsletter providing quick links to timely news stories about ASTM and its technical committees.

• Issuing press releases to trade and technical journals of interest; ASTM Corporate Communications maintains a list of relevant periodicals for each ASTM main committee and employs writers to create news releases as needed.

• Symposium call for papers are routinely e-mailed to specialized lists of ASTM customers and prospects keyed to subjects of interest.

• Staff approved postings to the ASTM website, where interested individuals will encounter upcoming committee meetings, committee listings, staff contacts, and other pertinent news and information pertaining to ASTM committees and subcommittees.

These services can be utilized by drafting an announcement of the activity and submitting it to your staff manager. When made aware of your needs your staff manager will coordinate the services of the various ASTM staff members involved to make sure that an adequate publicity plan is developed and put into effect.

The website is located at www.astm.org and contains many areas to aid in the standards development process. Areas of interest include searchable databases for ASTM standards, laboratories, equipment, consultants, and expert witnesses as well as sections on technical committee membership, training programs, and quality assurance programs.

Committee Home Pages

Each committee has its own page with specific information about the committee. Organized and maintained by ASTM staff, these pages include information such as the staff contact, the scope of the committee, listing of the subcommittees under a main committee’s jurisdiction, dates and locations of future meetings, and links to related associations and organizations. Sections detailing new activities, recently published standards, future symposia or workshops, and industry news may also be located here.

Standards Development tools

The website contains the most current tools for the process of writing standards. These tools include current copies of the ASTM Regulations, Form and Style for ASTM Standards, and the Strategic Planning Manual. These living documents are updated as necessary to comply with standing committee- and board-approved modifications.

Chair's Duties

Before reading this section, read the Introduction to ASTM section that contains information relevant to the main committee chair.

The committee chair’s specific duties are as follows:

• Chairing meetings of the executive subcommittee and the main committee

• Overseeing the standards development activities of the committee, including five-year review, due process for negative voters, and actions on standards

• With executive subcommittee approval, appointing subcommittee chair, liaisons, and executive subcommittee task groups, such as the nominating committee and strategic planning

• Ensuring that the executive subcommittee performs all required duties: approving membership applications and affiliate members, classifying members of classified committees, assigning voting status, and any duties outlined in the committee bylaws

• Handling of ASTM circular letter ballots and other headquarters correspondence

• With approval from the executive subcommittee, handling general administrative duties, such as planning future meetings, managing committee funds, and approving proposals for symposia

• Understanding of ASTM regulations and consensus process: ASTM Regulations, Officer Handbook, Committee Bylaws, and general parliamentary procedure as outlined in 'Robert's Rules of Order'

• Providing guidance as needed to officers and committee members

Role of the Vice Chair

Each committee’s bylaws provide for the number of vice chair and their duties. Generally, a committee vice chair

• Is a member of the executive subcommittee

• Serves as chair in the chair’s absence

• Executes those duties as described in the bylaws or assigned by the chair

• Understanding of ASTM regulations and consensus process: ASTM Regulations, Officer Handbook, Committee Bylaws, and general parliamentary procedure as outlined in 'Robert's Rules of Order'

• Assists chair with duties

• Is aware of all committee operations

Vice chair are often assigned special duties either on a permanent or ad-hoc basis. For example, COTCO has suggested that each committee form a strategic planning subcommittee that is chaired by a committee vice chair. Other special duties may include chairing an awards committee or the responsibility for updating committee bylaws. Consult your committee’s bylaws, policies, or recent minutes for details.

If the committee chair resigns, generally the vice chair succeeds to the post. The vice chair also presides over main committee and executive meetings if the chair is absent. In committees with more than one vice chair, the order of succession is included in the bylaws. A vice chair should be familiar with ASTM policies and procedures and the workings of the committee. Therefore, the chair should keep the vice chair advised of all activities.

Chairing Executive and Main Committee Meetings

The committee chair must know the rules and procedures under which committees operate. The committee chair must be familiar with all ASTM policies so that he or she can provide guidance and leadership to the other officers as well as the committee membership. The committee chair is responsible for chairing both the executive subcommittee and main meetings. See page 15 for guidelines on conducting meetings. Agendas should be posted to the ASTM website before the meeting.

Reports from subcommittee chair should include brief summaries of action items and other important points of interest to the main or executive meeting. Detailed discussion of issues should be avoided at this time. Ask the subcommittee chair at the beginning of their report whether any committee action items will be included in their reports.

Overseeing Standards Development

The chair must oversee the activities of all subcommittees, ensuring that they meet their responsibilities. The committee chair may also participate in subcommittee and task group activities like any other member. Specifically, the chair’s responsibilities are listed below.

Committee Administration

The recording secretary is the focal point for minutes, correspondence, and documentation. It is the responsibility of the secretary to maintain accurate committee records. The secretary should make sure that the chair, staff manager, and all appropriate individuals receive copies of important correspondence.

The secretary’s responsibilities may vary from one technical committee to another. Individual main committee officers’ responsibilities are often listed in the bylaws of the committee.

Duties at a Meeting

It is helpful to divide the tasks into those necessary before the committee meeting, those needed during the meeting, and those required after the meeting.

The secretary’s duties include:

Before the meeting:

• Help the chair prepare and post the executive subcommittee and main committee agendas at least 30 days before the meeting

• Assist in preparing the committee meeting schedule

• Coordinate with membership secretary to print out attendance sheets for the main and executive committee meeting

At the meeting:

• Circulate attendance rosters and collect proxies

• Identify voting members

• Approve minutes of previous meeting

• Take minutes

After the meeting:

• Prepare and post the minutes of main committee and executive subcommittee meetings within 30 days of the meeting ending

• Collect subcommittee minutes or have them uploaded directly to the ASTM website by the deadline date

Minutes

The accuracy, format, content, and distribution of minutes are very important. Preparing the minutes of the executive subcommittee and the main committee meetings is the responsibility of the secretary. In some committees, the secretary is also responsible for collecting subcommittee minutes, which are then posted to the ASTM website. Writing the subcommittee minutes is the responsibility of the subcommittee chair or secretary. Audio and video recording is prohibited at all ASTM meetings.

Minutes should be written as soon as possible after meetings while the actions and discussions are fresh in the writer’s mind. The committee's administrative assistant establishes a deadline date for submission of minutes. If the deadline is not met, timely availability of the minutes may not occur.

Content

The minutes should begin with the committee designation and title, date of the meeting, and location. The body of the minutes should start with a statement of what time the meeting was called to order.

The minutes should reflect concise statements about specific items, including a brief overview of pertinent discussion, clearly indicating what decisions were reached and what future actions are required. Minutes are not intended to be a transcript of actual discussions. Make sure that minutes contain the membership changes, important administrative matter, recommendations and actions, highlights of subcommittee activities, status of standards, actions taken on negative votes and comments, future plans for coordination, and the requirements for the next meeting. For a thorough explanation of documenting negative votes, please see page 54. Lengthy lists or documents presented during the meeting should not appear in the body of the minutes but should be attached.

Minutes should conclude with the notice of the next meeting date, time, and location.

FIGURE 5Sample Minutes

The membership secretary has the overall responsibility for handling membership issues within the committee. These duties include the following:

• Utilizing the online ASTM Roster Maintenance tool to maintain the roster of members on your committee

• Reviewing the classification of members and recommending action to the executive subcommittee to maintain balance

• Taking action to remove the official vote of inactive members as defined by Regulations and the committee bylaws

• Reporting on membership changes and status to the executive subcommittee including affiliate members and honorary committee members

• Ensuring that there is not more than one official voting member per voting interest as defined by the Regulations (termed: Redundant Interest); any number of individuals may join the committee from each voting interest, but only one shall be designated as the official voting member

• Overseeing recruitment efforts

Society Membership

Before individuals can be added to committee rosters, they must be members of the Society. Society members who apply for committee membership are invoiced for Society membership. In general, all Society members belong to one of the following classes of Society membership:

A Representative (Rep) represents a company’s organizational membership in the Society. This membership is transferable.

A Member Tech (Member Tech) is an individual member of the Society and participates on committees. This membership is not transferable.

A Senior Member (Senior Mbr.) is an individual who has retired from regular employment, has been a member for ten years or more and elects to continue participation at a reduced rate. The senior member does not receive a complimentary volume of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards.

Committee Membership

Administrative Procedure

Report to Executive and Main

Before the scheduled executive subcommittee meetings, the membership secretary should prepare a written membership report (go to Roster Maintenance area to create and print report) for approval by the executive subcommittee. This report should be attached to the minutes and should contain the following:

• Resignations received from any source

• Changes in existing members’ classification and voting status

• Transfer of organizational representation

• Presentation of new members with recommendation of classification and their voting status or placement on a waiting list for official vote, which can occur when producers join a classified committee that is already in balance.

• Tally of committee members

• Affiliate Members

• Balance Report

Subcommittee Organization

Subcommittees are the basic units of standards development work. All standards ballot items originate within subcommittees, and the subcommittees are responsible for handling negative votes on ballot items.

Subcommittees must have a chair and should have a vice chair and a secretary.

Division of responsibility between the subcommittee officers is up to the individual subcommittee. The chair and secretary should keep each other informed of all subcommittee actions. This section will refer only to subcommittee chair for simplicity, since the chair is responsible either for performing the listed duties or seeing that they are done.

Each subcommittee typically meets twice a year in conjunction with main committee meetings. Figure 6 provides a broad outline of the subcommittee chair’s responsibilities, organized by activity type (meetings, standards development, administration, or membership) and by the time frame in which each duty is performed relative to the subcommittee meeting.

In most instances, subcommittee chair serve on the executive subcommittee.

Subcommittee Membership

Membership Recruitment

Technical committees or subcommittees may find it necessary to recruit new members to enhance the level of participation, to increase representation of one of the membership classes, or to attract new expertise.

The subcommittee chair can work with the staff manager to develop a membership recruitment campaign. Individual letters or e-mails can be sent to prospects. Other materials can be included such as committee activity reports, webpage links, and e-cards.

The committee should be canvassed for lists of companies or names of individuals with their complete addresses, e-mail addresses and phone numbers. Targeted promotions are usually more successful than broad campaigns. The quality of the mailing list is more important than the quantity of the names.

Standards Editing and Publication

A review is required for every new or revised standard after it has been edited. The review ensures that no technical information has been changed inadvertently during the editing process; editorial changes resulting from a ballot are correctly incorporated; and queries from the editor are answered. Experience has shown that persons most familiar with a standard, such as task group chair or technical contacts, conduct the best reviews and should be included as reviewers.

The technical contact or task group chair is asked to complete the review within two weeks. If an extension is needed, the technical contact should contact the editor. After a document has been set in type, the technical contact is sent a final copy for information only. Only essential corrections can be made at this point. All approved standards are available on the ASTM website and published in the next edition of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards; all new, revised, reinstated, and reapproved standards are also published as separates.

All requests for editorial changes must be authorized by the appropriate committee or subcommittee officer with proper documentation and rationale submitted to the staff manager. Contact your standards editor or staff manager for guidance in determining whether a specific change is editorial.

Operation

A task group is the beginning of any standards writing activity in ASTM. It is where the majority of the work is accomplished. Task groups are comprised of a small number of highly knowledgeable individuals that are brought together by their parent subcommittee to work on specific projects—new standards, revisions, reviewing comments and negative votes on ballot items, or specific administrative projects. Each task group should have a scope that specifies the objectives of the group to ensure that the members are working toward a common goal.

Developing a Draft Standard

The task group meets to decide on essential elements. It is better to assign one member to prepare a first draft. After circulation to other task group members, further drafts may be prepared as necessary. It is not necessary to reach unanimous agreement on all aspects of the standard to achieve consensus. Remember that all ASTM standards can be revised as often as necessary.

References and forms

The following materials are available from the ASTM website or your staff manager, unless otherwise indicated.

• Regulations Governing ASTM Technical Committees

• Form and Style for ASTM Standards

• ASTM Manual for Development and Implementation of Strategic Plans

• Committee Bylaws

• Guide for Appealing Actions on Negative Votes to the Committee on Standards

• ASTM Standard Templates

Other policies and procedures developed by the Board of Directors, Standing Technical Committees, or staff:

• Committee Fund Solicitation Guidelines

• Rules for Society Awards (including the Award of Merit)

• Guidelines for Fund Solicitation and Management of Funded Projects

• Adjunct Proposal Forms

• Research Report Format Guide

• Guide to Symposium Planning and Publication

• Virtual Classroom

• Author Instructions for Books and Journals

• Guide to Book Proposals and Publishing Procedures for Manuals, Monographs, Handbooks, Data Series, Retrospective Publications

• ASTM Standards on Precision and Bias for Various Applications:

  • E691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to Determine the Precision of a Test Method

  • E177 Practice for Use of the Terms Precision and Bias in ASTM Test Methods

• Compilation of ASTM Standard Definitions

Life Cycle of a Standard

Standards development work begins when a need for a standard is recognized. Drafts are prepared by task groups whose members need not be ASTM members. The balloting process begins within the subcommittee. Before review by the Committee on Standards (COS), a standard’s action must pass successive subcommittee and main committee ballots and Society Review. All negative votes cast on standards at all levels that contain written explanation of the voter’s objections must be considered by the originating subcommittee. A technical change made to the balloted standard requires re-balloting. Final approval depends on COS concurrence that ASTM procedures were followed; negative voters received due process; and consensus was achieved in the standard’s action. Failure to achieve COS approval will require additional work by the sponsoring subcommittee.

After publication, suggestions for revision may be made at any time. Editorial changes may be made at any time. Substantive technical changes must go though the entire balloting process. All published standards must be reviewed and balloted for reapproval, withdrawal, or revision within five years of the last publication date.

Form & Style Manual

ASTM requires that every standard comply with the Form & Style for ASTM Standards. The overall purpose of the Manual is to promote uniformity of form and style in ASTM standards. The Form & Style Manual is organized as follows:

Types of Standards

Part A

—Form of ASTM Test Methods

Part B

—Form of ASTM Specifications

Part C

—Form of Other Types of ASTM Standards

Part D

—Use of the Modified Decimal Numbering System

Part E

—Terminology in ASTM Standards

Part F

—Caveats and Other Legal Aspects in Standards—Special Instructions

Part G

—Standards Style Manual

Part H

—Use of SI Units in ASTM Standards

Annex A

—SI Quick Reference Guide

Parts A, B, C, and E are devoted to the six major types of ASTM standards: test methods, specifications, classifications, practices, guides, and terminologies. The definitions of these standards are listed, as are their mandatory section headings. Descriptions of the content and purpose of the mandatory sections and other commonly used sections are also included. Mandatory sections for each type of standard are as follows:

• Test Methods require a scope, significance and use, procedure, precision and bias, and keywords.

• Specifications require a scope and keywords, unless a specification includes a complete test method. In that case, the specification shall include the sections required for a test method.

• Practices and Guides require a scope, significance and use, and keywords.

• Classifications require a scope, significance and use, basis of classification, and keywords.

• Terminology requires a scope, terms and definitions, and keywords.

Preparing Revisions for Ballot

Revisions to standards may be prepared for ballot in one of the following formats:

1. 1.Underline additions and strikethrough deletions respectively, using a word processing program, such as Track Changes.

2. 2.Type a list of only those sections being revised with instructions that clearly state the additions, substitutions, or deletions to be made.

3. 3.Make a two-column comparison of current text on the left side with proposed revisions on the right side of the page.

4. 4.With a complete top-to-bottom revision of a standard, just indicate in the cover letter that the entire standard has been revised.

If less than 25% of a document is changed, use Format 1, 2, or 3; if more than 25% of the document is changed, it is advisable to retype a new draft using Format 4.

Maintenance of Standards

Each subcommittee is responsible for maintenance of the standards under its jurisdiction. The subcommittee should review each standard during the fourth year after the last approval date and recommend it for revision, reapproval, or withdrawal. The Regulations require that standards shall be balloted for reapproval, revision, or withdrawal within five years of their last approval date. When a standard is due for a five-year review, the technical content is still current but a few editorial changes are needed, it should be balloted for reapproval with editorial changes. If the standard has not received a new approval date by December 31 of the eighth year since the last approval date, the standard will be withdrawn from publication.

Basic Principles

To be approved for publication by ASTM, a standard’s action must pass subcommittee, main committee, and Society Review of main committee ballot items, and review by the COS. Procedural requirements are detailed in the Regulations. Basic principles of all ASTM ballots are as follows:

• All ballots are posted on the ASTM website “My Ballots” link. All ballots must be conducted via the ASTM website, ensuring that every member has an opportunity to vote

• All ballots must be issued for a period of not less than 30 days allowing members adequate time to critically review the balloted documents

• All negative votes shall be accompanied by a written statement and must be considered by the originating subcommittee

• Whenever a ballot leads to substantive changes in a document, the revised version must be reballoted at all levels to ensure that the technical changes to a document are made on a consensus basis

The responsibilities of the subcommittee chair are as follows:

• See that all standards are reviewed for revision, reapproval, or withdrawal at least every five years

• See that the subcommittee properly considers all negative votes and comments cast on ballot items originating from the subcommittee, whether the vote is cast at subcommittee, main committee, or Society Review

The following sections outline the procedure for conducting ASTM ballots. These procedures are summarized in Figure 8. Official procedures for balloting actions are contained in the Regulations.

Work Item Registration

Before an item can be placed on ballot, it must first be registered as a Work Item. Work Item registration is required for new draft standards and revisions to existing standards; they are not required for reapprovals with or without editorial changes. Work Item registration is the first step in submitting an item for ballot. The link for work item registration is on the My Committees webpage under the My Tools section. Click on “Ballots & Work Items” then “Submit/Edit” and follow the instructions. Four important pieces of information that you will need to provide for the registration are the title; the scope (for proposed new standards); the rationale for why the standard is being developed or revised; and the keywords to be used in a search for the standard.

Subcommittee Ballot

A subcommittee ballot may be authorized by either a subcommittee chair or by a motion passed by a majority of voting members at a subcommittee meeting. To submit an item to subcommittee ballot, the subcommittee chair or technical contact should refer to the “Ballots & Work Items” link under the My Tools section on the My Committees webpage, then click on “Submit/Edit”. The ballot must contain a cover letter explaining the reason for the proposed action. Examples of such reasons are the following:

• Request by an organization or individual for a new standard

• Substantive changes made in response to negative votes or comments on a previous ballot

• Request for revisions to a standard

• Any other circumstance prompting a subcommittee ballot

Subcommittee ballots are conducted by Headquarters. The ballot results, negatives, and comments are included in a closing report which all subcommittee members can access via the ASTM website once the ballot is closed.

Sixty percent of the official voting members must return ballots before the ballot can close. Abstaining votes are counted for the requirement.

An affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the combined affirmative and negative votes cast by the official voting members on each ballot item is required for a successful ballot of that item. Abstentions do not count in the calculation.

Negative votes received on subcommittee ballots are considered by the subcommittee that initiated the item. If substantive changes to the document are made in response to a persuasive negative vote, the item must be reballoted. If, however, all negative votes are withdrawn or ruled not related or not persuasive, the item may go on to main committee ballot assuming all other ballot requirements are met. See the next section for details on how to handle negative votes.

Submitting Items to Main Committee Ballot and Society Review

Items that have passed subcommittee ballot without any negatives will automatically be forwarded to main committee ballot and Society Review. All other ballot items need to be submitted to ASTM Headquarters for ballot of the main committee and Society Review via the ASTM website.

Negative votes from the subcommittee ballot that were ruled not persuasive or not related by the subcommittee must be forwarded with the submission for distribution with the main committee ballot and Society Review. Vote counts and rationale for not persuasive and not related motions must be included.

It is essential that the name of the subcommittee chair or the task group chair to whom the edited document is to be sent for review be listed on the ballot item’s cover letter. The reviewer should have agreed to return the proof copy within the time prescribed by the editor.

Main Committee Ballot and Society Review of Ballot Items

Each main committee ballot should include the following:

• The text of the proposed action

• A cover letter explaining the rationale for the proposed action

• Tally of the subcommittee ballot results

• Documentation on any subcommittee negative votes ruled not persuasive, not related, or previously considered; rationale; vote count; date of the not persuasive motion; and the text of the negative vote

At least 60% of the official voting members must return ballots before a main committee ballot return is valid. Abstentions count in this calculation.

Approval of each main committee ballot item requires an affirmative vote of at least 90% of the combined affirmative and negative votes cast by official voting members. Abstentions do not count in this calculation.

The number of affirmative, negative, and abstaining votes on each ballot item is reported to the committee in the closing report. Copies of negative votes are posted to the link “Negatives and Comments”; this link is located under the “My Tools” section on the My Committees page and also under Ballots, View Closed Ballots/Closing Reports.

ASTM posts copies of negative votes to the website and sends e-mails notifying the subcommittee chair and the task group chair (or technical contact) if one is identified. After a ballot closes, negative votes can be resolved by accessing the Negatives & Comments link then selecting the appropriate ballot. (See “Handling of Negative Votes”)

Negative votes are considered by the subcommittee and, if necessary, by the main committee at the next meeting. If substantive changes are to be made to the text of a ballot item in response to a persuasive negative vote, the item is removed from ballot for further study and requires a new subcommittee or concurrent ballot. (See “Handling of Negative Votes”) Copies of negative votes are posted to the link “Negatives and Comments”; this link is located under the “My Tools” section on the My Committees page.

Society members have an opportunity to participate in the balloting process during the main committee ballot. Society Review notification is now on the ASTM website. The link to Society Review is found on the “Technical Committees” page under the “Standards Development” section. Members can request copies of documents of interest, review the documents, and submit comments to ASTM. Negative votes received on Society Review of main committee ballot items are considered by the originating subcommittee in the same way main committee negative votes are handled. (See section on Handling of Negative Votes)

Committee on Standards Review

Following a successful main committee ballot and Society Review, a ballot summary detailing returns and handling of negative votes is submitted to the Committee on Standards (COS) by the Standards Coordination Department. COS determines whether all procedural requirements have been met. Should an appeal be requested or a COS member find fault with the action of a technical committee, representatives of the committee and other individuals may be present and participate in discussions on controversial items. If COS approves the standards action, the document is published by ASTM.

Communication

A commonly held misconception in the negative vote resolution process is that all communication between a committee and a negative voter must take place at a committee meeting. This is not true. In order to expedite the resolution of negative votes, subcommittee chair and technical contacts are encouraged to contact negative voters in advance of the committee meetings. This type of one-on-one communication can often result in the establishment of a common ground, which may provide the necessary incentive for the negative vote to be withdrawn.

Should this type of communication result in the withdrawal of a negative vote prior to a committee meeting, the subcommittee chair should immediately inform their staff manager. The removal of the negative vote will then enable the ballot item to proceed through the balloting process toward approval.

Consideration of Negative Votes

The Regulations mandate that all negative votes must be considered, and proper consideration of negative votes cast throughout the ballot process demands that due process be afforded to all negative voters. Negative votes received on subcommittee ballots are considered by the subcommittee that initiated the ballot item. Negative votes received on main committee ballots are considered by the subcommittee that initiated the ballot item and, if necessary, by the main committee. The subcommittee chair’s report at the main meeting must report on these negative votes and the subcommittee’s consideration of them, including rationales for any action taken and vote counts on motions. At the main meeting, the committee chair must allow discussion before taking a vote on any motions to uphold the actions of the subcommittee. A hand count of official voting members must be taken on these motions. The votes are recorded, along with the reasons for the motion, in the minutes.

Documenting Negative Votes

The Regulations mandate that due process be afforded to negative voters. Thus, the minutes should fully reflect the consideration given to negative votes. When not persuasive or not related actions are taken on negative votes, it is very important that the minutes record:

• Name of the voter

• Content of the negative vote

• Action taken on the negative vote with detailed rationale (address each portion of the negative vote)

• Subcommittee and main committee vote tallies reflecting the count of affirmative, negative, or abstaining votes by voting members

It is important that the rationale for finding a negative vote not persuasive or not related addresses each portion of the negative vote and that the rationale is thoroughly recorded. Such complete records provide a detailed explanation to the negative voter and also minimize the potential for additional negatives.

If the ballot item is progressing to the next level, the negative voters ruled not persuasive or not related shall be notified as to the disposition of their negative votes. This notification will occur via email once the disposition is recorded on the ASTM website by the technical contact or subchair.

If negative votes are withdrawn by the voter, simply note this in the minutes. If negative votes are withdrawn subject to an editorial change, note this as well as the editorial changes that were made to the ballot item.

Disposition of Negative Votes

The following dispositions are possible for subcommittee and main committee negative votes:

WITHDRAWN: A negative voter may withdraw his or her negative at any time before it is ruled otherwise. A negative vote that is withdrawn is changed to an affirmative vote (or an abstention vote, if the voter so indicates) and requires no further consideration. If a negative vote is withdrawn subject to an editorial change, or if editorial changes are made for another reason, indicate the changes on a marked-up copy of the balloted item or on a separate page and upload it via the Negatives & Comments link when finding the vote “Withdrawn with Editorial Change”.

NOT RELATED: A ruling of not related means that the negative voter’s comments relate to material that was not part of the balloted item. The subcommittee cannot rule a negative vote not related because it feels the voter misunderstands the intent of the ballot item. In such cases, it is best to contact the voter to try and reach a resolution. If a motion is needed, a not persuasive motion is in order. A motion to find a negative vote not related to the item balloted requires a two-thirds affirmative vote of the affirmative and negative votes on the motion either at a meeting or by a ballot. At a meeting, a hand count must be taken. Only official voters or their proxies are eligible to vote.

If the motion passes, the negative vote is recorded as an abstention on the subcommittee ballot tally but must be considered as an item of new business. Record the vote count and reasons for the subcommittee’s action in the minutes. Resolve the negative via the Negatives & Comments tool on your My Committees page. The vote count, negative statement, and not related rationale must be included with a ballot item for it to move forward on a main ballot.

If a two-thirds affirmative vote is not obtained on a motion to find a negative not related, then the motion fails and the negative vote remains unresolved. This unresolved negative then needs further consideration and can be ruled persuasive or a motion for not persuasive can be made.

NOT PERSUASIVE: Action to find a negative vote not persuasive must begin with a motion specifying reasons for the action. A motion to find a negative vote not persuasive requires a two-thirds affirmative vote of the affirmative and negative votes cast by subcommittee voters on the motion either at a meeting or by ballot. At a meeting, hand counts must be taken; only official voters or their proxies are eligible to vote.

If the motion passes, record the vote count and reasons for the subcommittee’s action in the minutes. Resolve the negative via the Negatives & Comments tool on your My Committees page. The vote count, negative statement, and not persuasive rationale must be included with a ballot item for it to move forward on a main ballot.

PERSUASIVE: If a two-thirds affirmative vote on a motion to find a negative vote not persuasive is not obtained, the negative vote is considered persuasive and the item is removed from ballot for further work and deliberation. If the subcommittee makes substantive changes, the item is re-submitted into the ballot process.

Sometimes the negative voter’s rationale for modification to the balloted document is apparent to all present at the subcommittee meeting. In such cases, the chair, not hearing any motion to find the negative vote not related or not persuasive and by unanimous accord of the subcommittee, may declare the ballot item removed for further study.

PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED: If a negative vote is submitted for the same reason as one previously considered by the committee having jurisdiction, the appropriate subcommittee chair may affirm that the negative has been considered and submit written documentation, including the negative vote, consideration given by the subcommittee, and the subcommittee and main committee vote counts on the action. Further consideration by the committee is not required.

Appeal Mechanisms

Committee on Standards

Following successful completion of Society Review, the results of the ballot are submitted to the Committee on Standards (COS).

If any not persuasive, previously considered, or not related negative votes were generated by the ballot item, it is forwarded to COS for review. The COS consideration includes the complete text of the negative vote(s), the reason(s) for being found not persuasive, previously considered, or not related, and the vote count(s) on the motion(s). Any COS member who feels a negative voter was not accorded due process by the technical committee may cast a COS negative vote. A COS negative halts all action on the ballot item until it is resolved.

The subcommittee chair is encouraged to contact the COS member to provide further explanation of the action taken. Often a COS negative is withdrawn on the basis of a telephone call or e-mail from a subcommittee chair.

If the COS negative is not withdrawn, the item is put on the agenda of the next COS meeting. At that meeting, COS may pass a motion finding procedural error and return the item to the subcommittee for reconsideration.

Avoiding COS Negatives

COS negative votes on ballot items may mean delay or removal from ballot. To avoid them, reasons for not persuasive or not related motions must be complete and well documented. COS does not attend subcommittee meetings and they base their decisions solely on the written record. Here are some guidelines to help satisfy the requirements of COS procedural review:

• If a negative vote consists of several parts, address each part separately in the rationale.

• Give significant reasons for action. Cryptic one-line answers to extensive negative votes may not be considered due process by COS. For example, to merely note that “the negative was discussed” or “we disagree with the voter” reveals little to the outsider about the subcommittee’s thinking.

• It is more expeditious to have negative votes withdrawn than to rule them not persuasive. Therefore, work directly with the negative voter whenever possible.

• If a negative voter requests an editorial change that is accepted as editorial, make the change and have the negative vote withdrawn.

• Distinguish clearly between negative votes that are not persuasive and not related. Not related negative votes must be introduced as new business at the subcommittee’s next meeting.