STELLA is a collaborative regional consortium, and our governance reflects that.
The policies below define how authorship is allocated on STELLA publications, how investigators can propose ancillary analyses, and how external researchers can request access to STELLA data.
Guiding principles
Collaborative and transparent. All participating centers contribute to, and benefit from, STELLA outputs.
Contribution-weighted. Credit and data-access privileges scale with scientific and enrollment contribution.
ICMJE-aligned. Authorship follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria: substantial contributions to conception/design, data acquisition, analysis or interpretation; drafting or critical revision; final approval; and accountability for the work.
Authorship on primary STELLA publications
Primary STELLA publications are papers that use the core dataset to address pre-specified aims set out in the protocol (e.g., epidemiology, natural history, genetic associations, fibrosis progression).
First and senior authors are typically the Principal Investigators and the lead analyst responsible for the specific paper.
Named co-authors include site Principal Investigators and investigators who meet all four ICMJE criteria, with contribution generally reflected by enrollment volume, data-quality performance, and intellectual input into study design or analysis.
STELLA Investigators group authorship will be used where appropriate (e.g., «on behalf of the STELLA Investigators»), with a full, PubMed-indexed list of contributing investigators.
Site coordinators, research nurses, and data managers who meet ICMJE criteria are eligible for named authorship; those who contribute meaningfully but do not meet all four criteria are listed in the Acknowledgments with their role specified.
Ancillary studies
Investigators within the STELLA network may propose ancillary studies that use a defined subset of the STELLA dataset or add a layer of analysis (e.g., imaging sub-studies, biomarker analyses, regional comparisons).
Process for proposing an ancillary study:
Submit a 1–2 page concept sheet to the Steering Committee via the coordinating center, including aims, specific data requested, analysis plan, authorship plan, and timeline.
The Steering Committee reviews for scientific merit, overlap with ongoing STELLA analyses, and feasibility.
On approval, the lead investigator will coordinate the analyses and provide a report of the results, including figures and tables for publication purposes.
Authorship follows the ancillary proposal — the lead investigator serves as first author; site PIs of contributing centers are named co-authors; STELLA PIs are senior/corresponding.
All manuscripts are circulated to the Steering Committee for comment before submission.
Data access for external researchers
External researchers (outside the STELLA network) may request access to de-identified STELLA data for specific research questions.
Requirements:
A written research proposal with defined aims, analysis plan, and publication plan.
Institutional Review Board (IRB) or ethics approval at the requesting institution.
A signed Data Use Agreement limiting use to the approved question and prohibiting re-identification attempts.
Acknowledgment of STELLA in any resulting publication and co-authorship of at least one STELLA PI as agreed with the Steering Committee.
Requests are reviewed quarterly by the Steering Committee. Decisions are communicated within 60 days. Unsuccessful proposals receive written feedback and may be resubmitted.
Public sharing and embargo
Summary statistics are publicly available from this website. Individual-level data are not publicly deposited and remain under controlled access in line with participant consent and IRB approvals at each center.