Project Posting and Application Guidelines

1. Projects Symposed is intended for

Listings may include research projects, systematic or scoping reviews, audits, quality-improvement work, case reports, poster or abstract projects and other genuine academic or healthcare research collaborations that fit the categories offered by the Service.

A listing may be:

• a project with a confirmed supervisor seeking one or more collaborators;

• a student-led project idea seeking collaborators before approaching a supervisor;

• a project seeking an eligible supervisor or specialist input;

• an established group seeking an additional contributor for a defined role; or

• a stalled or incomplete project seeking new collaborators to continue work, provided the lister has authority to advertise it and describes the situation honestly.

2. Permission to advertise

Before advertising a project associated with a supervisor, department, society, institution or existing research team, make sure you have permission to recruit collaborators where permission is required. Do not publish a supervisor's name, personal contact details, institutional identity or alleged support without permission.

If a supervisor has expressed general willingness to supervise but has not authorised a public listing, describe the project status accurately and avoid implying formal endorsement.

3. What a good listing should state

• Project title and a high-level, non-confidential description.

• Project type and clinical/academic topic.

• Whether a supervisor is confirmed, being approached or still required.

• Whether the project is remote, in person or hybrid and any genuine location requirement.

• The experience level genuinely needed and whether the role is beginner-friendly.

• The number of collaborators sought and a clear description of each role.

• Expected availability, workload and likely timeline, recognising that research timelines can change.

• The current project stage, such as idea, protocol, registration, data collection, analysis, write-up or submission.

• The status of ethics, governance, sponsorship, audit/QI registration or other approval where relevant. Do not claim approval that has not been obtained.

• Expected contributorship or authorship approach. Any proposed author order is provisional and subject to actual contribution and applicable standards.

• Any genuine conflicts of interest, funding, fees, compensation or expenses relevant to applicants.

• A realistic target journal or impact range may be stated as an aspiration, but never as a guaranteed publication outcome.

4. Do not include patient or research data

A listing should explain what a project is about, not reproduce its dataset or clinical record. Do not include patient-level information, screenshots, rare-case details that could identify a person, unpublished confidential datasets, or confidential documents. Data collection and analysis must occur through appropriate institutional or approved systems outside Symposed.

5. Beginner-friendly roles

Mark a project beginner-friendly only if a person with limited prior research experience could realistically perform the advertised role with reasonable instructions or supervision. You may identify entry-level tasks such as screening, data extraction from approved sources, reference management, audit administration or literature work, but you must still follow applicable research and data-governance rules.

Symposed may give additional visibility, recognition, badges or other non-cash incentives to listers who genuinely create beginner-accessible opportunities. Criteria and incentives may change and can be withdrawn where the label is misused.

6. Application quality and limits

Symposed may limit applications or use application credits to reduce mass-applying and ghosting. Current limits are shown within the Service and may change with usage and feedback. Apply selectively and do not create extra accounts to obtain more applications.

Symposed may offer extra credits or platform recognition for genuine project-creation activity, including projects associated with a suitably validated supervisor. Rewards are intended to encourage the creation of real opportunities, have no cash value and may be reviewed or removed if a project is misleading, duplicated or created primarily to obtain rewards.

7. Choosing applicants

Listers retain discretion to choose collaborators, subject to law and platform rules. Symposed encourages consideration of motivation, availability, relevant skills, reliability and willingness to learn - not publication count alone. Premium status, if later introduced, should not be treated as proof of competence or entitlement to selection.

8. After positions are filled

• Update or close the listing promptly.

• Where the Service offers status notifications, use them accurately so applicants are not intentionally kept waiting.

• Confirm the role, expected work, communication route and supervision status with selected collaborators.

• Discuss contributorship/authorship expectations early and revisit them as contributions change.

• Use an appropriate system outside Symposed for research data, approvals, documents requiring institutional control and confidential project material.