FAQ for IPCC contributors

Scientists can contribute by participating in scoping meetings to define the structure of upcoming reports or by submitting input during expert reviews of draft reports.

There are several roles scientists can take on within the IPCC process:

• Participants in scoping meetings: Help define the structure, outline, and key questions of upcoming reports.
• Expert reviewers: Evaluate draft versions of the report and submit formal comments during the review phases
• Coordinating Lead Authors (CLAs): Oversee and coordinate the content, structure, and integration of an entire chapter.
  Lead Authors (LAs): Write specific sections of a chapter and synthesize scientific findings
• Review Editors (REs): Ensure that all comments from expert and government reviews are adequately addressed by the authors.
  Contributing Authors (CAs): Provide specific expertise, data, or text on particular topics within a chapter.

CLAs, LAs and REs must be nominated by countries or organisations and are selected and invited by the IPCC Bureau. CAs are invited by the LAs of the relevant Chapter. Expert reviewers can register to review in response to open calls.

• Coordinating Lead Authors (CLA), Lead Authors (LA) and Review Editors (RE): Will be nominated to the attention of the IPCC Bureau by the National governments and observer organizations. These nominate candidates who have applied. The IPCC Bureau selects individuals based on scientific expertise, geographical representation, and diversity.
• Contributing Authors (CA) are invited by Lead Authors or might contact Lead Authors and offer a contribution. See “How does the application process work?“
• Expert reviewers: Any qualified scientist or stakeholder can register to review draft reports in response to corresponding calls by IPCC and ProClim. There is no formal nomination process, and anyone with scientific or practical expertise can register and participate. There are several review stages for each report (e.g. first order draft, second order draft and government review). The review process and deadlines are announced with the call for submissions on the IPCC website: https://www.ipcc.ch.
• Participants in Scoping Meetings are nominated and chosen in the same way as CLA, LA and RE (see first point)

The nomination is open to experts in the scientific fields relevant to a specific call, who are either Swiss nationals or foreign scientists working with a Swiss research institution, provided that they have carried out research in Switzerland for a certain period of time.

Coordinating Lead Authors (CLA), Lead Authors (LA) and Review Editors (RE) are required to apply in response to calls for applications sent out by ProClim to the research community. They are nominated by national governments and observer organisations. The selection is made by the IPCC Bureau.

Application process:

1. Application Submission: Interested candidates submit their applications within the specified deadline to urs.neu@scnat.ch from ProClim.
2. Formal Check by ProClim: ProClim- conducts a formal check of the applications to ensure compliance with requirements, completeness and eligibility. ProClim- also serves as the primary contact point for any questions or clarification during this phase.
3. Nomination by FOEN: Once the applications are checked, FOEN officially submits the nominations to the IPCC.
4. Selection by IPCC Bureau: The IPCC Bureau reviews the nominations from all over the world and selects the final candidates.
5. Notification of Outcome: Only selected candidates will be notified directly by the IPCC. Applicants who are not selected will be informed by ProClim as soon as we get the information that selected persons have been invited.

For Contributing Authors (CA) and expert reviewers:

Contributing authors for specific chapters or topics will be invited by the relevant Lead Authors. If you think you have interesting results to contribute, you can contact the Lead Authors (after they have been appointed by IPCC) and offer to contribute.

For reviews at any stage of the reports, ProClim will send out an associated call to the interested research community with all information on how to register and get access to the review documents.

IPCC reports undergo a multi-stage review process:

1. The First-Order Draft (FOD) is reviewed by experts.
2. The Second-Order Draft is reviewed in parallel by governments and experts, including the draft Summary for Policymakers (SPM).
3. The revised draft of the SPM is submitted to governments for comments before the report is adopted and the SPM is approved by the plenary.

This three-stage review process is a core element of the IPCC’s work. It ensures that reports present and assess the latest scientific knowledge in a balanced and comprehensive way. The review is intended to be objective, open, and transparent, and to involve as many independent experts as possible in order to reflect a broad diversity of views and expertise.

The role of expert reviewers is described in detail in Appendix A to the Principles Governing IPCC Work (see link below).

Unfortunately, a compensation for working time is not possible. ProClim on behalf of the FOEN will be able to reimburse travel and accommodation costs to Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors, Review Editors and participants in Scoping Meetings who are based in Switzerland.

Swiss researchers who are officially involved in IPCC assessments or special reports, or who are selected to attend IPCC meetings (including Scoping Meetings), can apply for support for travel and accommodation costs. Funding is provided by the FOEN and managed by ProClim, depending on budget availability. Travel and accommodation are organized by the scientists themselves and reimbursed after the trip. Reimbursement is only possible as long as FOEN funding is available (it has always been possible in the past). Applicants will be informed if the funds are exhausted.

Train travel is preferred for trips of less than 12 hours; longer or more complex trips may justify air travel. The following expenses are reimbursed:

• Travel (flights: economy class; train (1st class); bus and taxi if necessary
• Accommodation in middle-class hotels (including breakfast)
• Meals (actual cost against receipt only)

Reimbursement will be made after the trip:

• Submit an invoice to ProClim- after the trip.
• Include all relevant original receipts (travel, accommodation, meals).
• Any exceptions or unclear cases must be clarified with ProClim before booking.

The composition of the group of coordinating and lead authors for each chapter should reflect:

• The range of technical and socio-economic views and expertise, including experts from academia and practitioners and policy makers
• Geographical representation, ensuring appropriate representation of experts from developing and developed countries and countries with economies in transition
• A mixture of experts with and without previous experience in IPCC
• gender balance

A mixture of experts with and without previous experience in IPCC can be selected for scoping meeting. More information on the preparation of IPCC reports, including the scoping process is available from the IPCC Principles and Procedures: https://www.ipcc.ch/documentation/procedures/

Tasks:

The role of Coordinating Lead Authors and Lead Authors is a demanding one. They are responsible for drafting the chapters and then revising them in the light of comments made during the two IPCC-mandated reviews - an expert review and a second review by governments and experts.

Meetings:

The Coordinating Lead Authors and Lead Authors are expected to participate in four Lead Author Meetings between 2025 and 2027/2028, and virtual chapter drafting meetings. A sub-group of authors will also be involved in drafting, revising and finalising the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) for each of the Working Group contributions to AR7. The presence of Coordinating Lead Authors and selected Lead Authors may be requested at Sessions of the IPCC and its Working Groups to assist in the finalisation of the SPMs.

The time commitment for Review Editors is less than that for Lead Authors, but includes attendance at two Lead Authors meetings in the second half of the cycle.