External Collaboration & Scholarly Recognition Framework
Purpose: This webpage establishes formal mechanisms for external colleagues, across the department, college, health system, and partner institutions, to collaborate with the VCU DPT Education CoP. It outlines guidelines for manuscript peer review, study design feedback, interprofessional research partnerships, and scholarly recognition (acknowledgements vs. co-authorship). Interested individuals and teams can submit their projects using this intake request form.
Formal Invitation & Core Domain
The VCU Department of Physical Therapy Education Community of Practice (CoP) extends an open invitation to faculty, clinical educators, health professions scholars, and institutional partners to engage with our collaborative educational incubator. Grounded in our formal charter, the CoP is dedicated to elevating physical therapy teaching, learning, and instructional innovation through shared scholarly inquiry and peer mentorship.
In alignment with our membership model, which explicitly integrates External Members (such as educational consultants, subject matter experts, and interprofessional advocates), we invite colleagues across VCU and external health networks to connect with us. Whether seeking peer review on an educational manuscript, requesting feedback on study design, or establishing long-term interprofessional research partnerships, the CoP provides a structured, psychologically safe space for collaborative scholarship.
Two-Tier Collaboration Framework
To ensure absolute clarity regarding expectations, workload distribution, and scholarly attribution, external collaboration with the CoP is structured into two distinct tracks:
Tier 1 is designed for faculty, clinical educators, or interprofessional teams who wish to bring their active projects to the CoP for targeted expert review, or for specialized subject matter experts invited by the CoP for consultative feedback.
- Scope of Engagement: External colleagues can submit manuscript drafts, study design protocols, grant concepts, or curricular innovation models to the CoP to receive rigorous, constructive peer feedback.
- Key Services Provided: Pre-submission manuscript peer review, methodology and assessment vetting, pedagogical troubleshooting, and abstract review.
- Operational Process: Requests are submitted via the CoP Intake Form and reviewed during scheduled Working Meetings.
- Scholarly Recognition: Consultative review does not require co-authorship. Contributions are formally recognized in the Acknowledgements section of resulting publications, conference presentations, or grant proposals.
Tier 2 represents a formal, ongoing research and development partnership centered on joint project conceptualization, execution, and interprofessional scholarship.
- Scope of Engagement: Jointly designing and implementing physical therapy education research, interprofessional Initiatives, grant applications, or multi-site curricular rollouts.
- Key Commitments: Substantial, direct contributions across project phases including study design, data collection, analytical evaluation, manuscript drafting, and critical revision.
- Operational Process: Partners integrate directly into CoP core project teams with defined task allocations and regular milestone tracking.
- Scholarly Recognition: Collaborators meeting international authorship standards (ICMJE) earn formal co-authorship on peer-reviewed manuscripts, abstracts, grant awards, and presentation proceedings.
Table 1: Summary Comparison of Collaboration Tiers
| Dimension | Tier 1: Consultative Feedback | Tier 2: Co-Creation & Research |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Goal | Provide expert peer feedback, manuscript review, or study design consultation. | Execute joint research, grant projects, or comprehensive curricular innovations. |
| Partner Role | External requester or invited subject consultant. | Co-investigator, project co-lead, or core research team member. |
| Time Commitment | Targeted/episodic (1-2 review sessions or ad-hoc feedback). | Sustained/longitudinal across project lifecycle. |
| Scholarly Attribution | Formal Acknowledgements in publications, abstracts, and presentations. | Co-Authorship on manuscripts, grant proposals, and published proceedings. |
Scholarly Recognition & Attribution Guidelines
To protect academic integrity and maintain transparent scholarly standards, all collaborations must adhere to standardized attribution guidelines:
Standard Acknowledgement Language (Tier 1)
When the CoP provides manuscript review, study design feedback, or pedagogical consultation for external colleagues, the resulting publication or presentation should include formal recognition in the Acknowledgements section using the following standardized phrasing:
The authors gratefully acknowledge the VCU Department of Physical Therapy Education Community of Practice [and/or specific CoP reviewers by name] for expert manuscript review, study design consultation, and critical feedback.
Co-Authorship Criteria (Tier 2)
Co-authorship on Tier 2 collaborative initiatives is determined in accordance with international academic standards (e.g., ICMJE guidelines). Co-authors must fulfill all four criteria:
- substantial contribution to conceptualization/design or data acquisition/analysis;
- drafting or critically revising intellectual content;
- final approval of the published version; and
- accountability for all aspects of the work.
Operational Principles & Capacity Management
Psychological Safety & Mutual Trust
All consultative reviews and project discussions take place in a supportive, constructive environment built on active listening, respectful peer dialogue, and confidentiality.
Reciprocity & Shared Value
Collaborations are structured to ensure mutual benefit, encouraging the open exchange of instructional strategies, research tools, and scholarly networks.
Balanced Portfolio Capacity
To protect faculty bandwidth and ensure high scholarly rigor, the CoP intentionally maintains a balanced portfolio focusing on 1–2 active core projects alongside scheduled peer consultations.
Context
Collaboration workflows and intake capacity are evaluated continuously to support sustainable, high-impact growth.
Interested individuals and teams can submit their projects using this intake request form.