HEI Report Templates and Guidance

The HEI research report is intended to be a complete description of the HEI-funded research, describing all the components (scientific background, specific aims, methods, and all results) and discussing all the findings. Ultimately, it should provide the information needed for a detailed review of methods, results, and interpretation and for preparation of the Review Committee’s Commentary, which discusses the strengths and limitations of the studies and sets the findings into scientific and regulatory context. A successful report will have the following attributes:

Enable QA/QC by the third-party Auditor (where applicable).
Enable determination of whether specific aims were achieved.
Present all results whether consistent with the hypothesis or not.
Include an in-depth discussion, interpretation, and synthesis section.
Is easy to read.

Getting Started with Your Report

1. Choose Your Report Template

You have the choice of two report templates; each incorporates all of HEI’s guidance for completing the report:

Option 1 Template: Use this template for studies that are a cohesive body of research and fit an “expanded” journal article format (that is, the report simply provides more details than a standard journal article). Published material can be used if the articles were published in open access journals that have a Creative Commons license that allows authors to use content without needing to obtain permission.

Option 2 Template: Use this template (chapter format) for research in which multiple studies or experiments were conducted to address varied aims. Some chapters can consist of articles that were published over the course of the funded investigation if the articles were published in open access journals that have a Creative Commons license that allows authors to use content without needing to obtain permission.

2. Plan the Report with Guidance from HEI

HEI strongly encourages investigators to consult with the HEI scientist assigned to their study before they begin their research. They can help you to develop a plan for producing the final report and provide guidance along the way, for example, regarding preparation of manuscripts. The goal is to ensure that the report meets expectations while minimizing the effort required to produce and review it.

Data Access

As stated in the contract with HEI, investigators are required to include all results from their study in the final report, either in the main body of the report or as appendices or supplementary materials. Investigators should also be prepared to submit, upon request from HEI, information underlying the final data analyses included in the report. Such information can include data sets that contain individual data, statistical code, and output of statistical analyses with appropriate documentation. That information will be used internally at HEI and will be made available to the Review Committee to assist in their evaluation of the final report. Selected information can be included as appendices to the final report, in consultation with the investigator, or posted on a dedicated open access platform (e.g., Dataverse). Please note that this request is separate from the Quality Assurance and Quality Control requirements. See also the Data Access Policy.

Conflict of Interest

HEI requires investigators to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest. Investigators should report financial relationships with entities in the exposure science or environmental health arenas that could be perceived to influence or that give the appearance of potentially influencing the research described in the final report. For more information, see the HEI Conflict of Interest Policies.

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