Conflicts of Interest Regarding Juried Awards
The Bibliographical Society of America makes four types of awards: funding awards for events, fellowships to support research, three triennial awards for published scholarship, and awards to new scholars invited to share their research at the Annual Meeting. It is essential that there be no conflict of interest on the part of those evaluating candidates for these awards and that there be no appearance of any conflict of interest (COI).
Members of the various committees or juries are selected in part on the basis of their reputation and standing in the profession. It is expected that they will be in contact with, know, or have interacted with at least some of the candidates for BSA awards. This policy aims to identify specific relations that pose a substantial conflict of interest in the decision-making for BSA awards and prizes. Members of these juries are not eligible for prizes during their tenure on the committees.
Members of the juries must recuse themselves when they are asked to consider awards for any of the following relations:
Spouses or significant others.
Children and other direct family members.
Co-authors or co-editors on a funded grant with whom a committee member has worked within the last seven years or with whom a committee member is currently engaged in a research-related partnership.
Colleagues in a direct supervisory role over the committee member and vice versa. (The relationship as mere colleagues does not necessarily constitute a COI but ought to be disclosed.)
Current doctoral students where the committee member has primary responsibility for supervising the dissertation.
Former dissertation advisors if the completion of the degree is within seven years of the committee member’s service on the award committee.
Professional colleagues about whom committee members do not feel they can act impartially.
In addition, some BSA jurors evaluate applications for library-based fellowships offered by their institutions of employment. In cases where the same project is submitted both to the BSA and to their home institution, jurors should recuse themselves from considering the BSA application.