SIP Statement Policy
(Final Version: 08-29-2020)
Comprising the SIP Statement Response Team
We seek two current SIP members in good standing to volunteer as members of the SIP
statement response team (“team”). These members should have depth of experience with Indian
psychology, possess good writing skills, and commit to mobilizing within days of any given
issue that arises. Team members are the bridge between the SIP membership and the SIP EC for
purposes of crafting SIP position statements.
Steps for Producing a SIP Statement
Any and all proposed SIP statements must be approved by the SIP EC prior to official
ratification and circulation as an official SIP position.
Here is the sequence of steps for developing, approving, and circulating a SIP statement.
1. Issue identification: an issue in need of a SIP statement originates from or is communicated by
any SIP member in good standing to the Team. Normally, the individual brining the issue
forward should plan to write a first draft of the statement (usually one paragraph to one page in
length).
2. Issue assessment: The team considers the issue and reports to the SIP Presidential Trio
whether they recommend any action to be taken. Criteria for recommending the development of
a statement include:
(a) relevance to Indian psychology
(b) impact of SIP taking a position
(c) extent of psychological expertise undergirding the position
(d) importance to membership of taking a position
(e) competing SIP priorities at the time the statement is proposed
3. Response to recommendation: The SIP Presidential Trio authorizes the team to work with the
originator to finalize a full draft of the statement, or declines the request to do so (offering their
reasons for declining). If the former, the originator and team mobilize to draft a full statement. If
the latter, the team then conveys the decision and rationale to the originator of the proposal for a
statement.
4. Drafting a statement: The originator and team collaborate to draft a statement in timely
fashion, involving other SIP members with relevant interest and expertise as warranted. A typical
SIP statement will:
(a) clearly describe the problem the statement addresses
(b) cogently state SIP's position in response to the problem
(c) briefly summarize relevant psychological science (adopting in-text citations, where
appropriate)
(d) ideally aim for a length of no more than1-2 pages (including a Reference list)
(e) professionally format on SIP letterhead, free of spelling, grammatical, and format errors
5. Submitting the statement: The finalized draft statement will be submitted to the SIP Secretary
for review and formatting assistance within 5 calendar days following Trio authorization for
development of the statement. Once finalized, the Secretary will forward to the Presidential Trio
for review.
6. Review by Presidential Trio. Once received, the Presidential Trio will review and within 48
hours either:
(a) approve the statement as submitted for presentation to the SIP membership
(b) return the statement with suggested edits to the team (for any edits or revisions, time is of the
essence, and so the team is urged to finalize promptly in response to Trio feedback)
(c) reject the statement, with clear reasons for rejection
7. Review by SIP membership: Once the SIP Presidential Trio approves the statement as
submitted, the team will post the statement to SIP listserv for at least 48 hours for member
feedback. Based on feedback, the originator and team may revise the statement one last time
prior to final submission for EC review and approval. If member feedback on the listserv
indicates serious disagreement with the statement, then the team should consult with the
Presidential Trio about a viable path forward or even decide to withdraw the statement.
8. Approving the statement: The team will email the final (revised) statement to all voting
members of the SIP EC, who will vote on the statement within 48 hours. Voting by email is
permitted for this purpose. A simple majority of the voting officers must approve the statement
for it to become the official position of the organization.
9. Circulating the statement: Once adopted by majority vote of the SIP EC, the team will
circulate the position statement by:
(a) routing it for posting on the appropriate webpage of SIP's website
(b) emailing it to the SIP listserv
(c) sending it out on an ad-hoc basis to any and all relevant parties.
