Workgroups are the scientific foundation of CAST. They bring together professionals, academics, and researchers to analyze, interpret, and communicate credible, objective information on issues critical to agriculture, food, and environmental systems.
Generative AI tools do not qualify for authorship, as authorship implies responsibility for tasks that can only be performed by humans. Authors and developers are solely accountable for the work produced by AI and utilized in any form of content through CAST.
If generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, CoPilot) are used in any part of work, it must be clearly acknowledged and disclosed. In a publication, disclosure is required in the "Methods" section or "Acknowledgements" section if the former is not an option. The disclosure must include the name, specific model, and version of the AI tool used.
All permitted uses require: full author accountability; mandatory disclosure of AI use (tool name, model, and version); and independent verification and citation of all factual content.
All outputs utilized in CAST content must be thoroughly fact-checked, with sources included in the works cited.
CAST does not permit the use of AI tools for the development of visuals, graphics, or cover art — unless the subject of research is directly related to AI software.
Failure to disclose the use of generative AI tools or the submission of unverified AI-generated data is considered a violation of CAST's research integrity standards. This policy will be reviewed regularly to keep pace with the evolving capabilities of AI technology.
Peer review requires expert evaluation, interpretation, and judgement that cannot be delegated to generative AI tools. Reviewers are solely responsible and accountable for the content, opinions, and recommendations written in their reviews. Generative AI tools do not qualify as reviewers and may not assume any role that substitutes for human scientific assessment.
If a reviewer uses a generative AI tool in any permitted capacity, this must be fully disclosed to CAST at the time the review is submitted. Disclosures should include:
Reviewers are fully responsible for ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of their reviews. Any content produced with AI assistance must be independently reviewed, thoroughly fact-checked, and evaluated for bias or errors.
Failure to disclose the use of generative AI tools or the submission of unverified AI-generated data is considered a violation of CAST's review integrity standards. This policy will be reviewed regularly to keep pace with the evolving capabilities of AI technology.
While CAST provides DOI numbers to each Task Force publication and ensures they are peer-reviewed, CAST is not an official scientific journal. Rather, CAST facilitates the development, review, and dissemination of Task Force publications.
Authors may develop new scholarly works that build upon a CAST Task Force publication after CAST's official rollout, provided the resulting work constitutes a new and substantively different publication and complies with the requirements outlined below.
Any submission to an external journal, outlet, or publisher must occur after CAST has held the official rollout and made the Task Force publication publicly available.
The external submission must be sufficiently revised and expanded to clearly qualify as a new publication. Minor edits, formatting changes, or superficial revisions are not sufficient. The new work should reflect additional analysis, updated framing, or otherwise substantive changes developed by the authors.
External submissions must be developed from the draft originally submitted by the Task Force, not from work performed by CAST editors or design/layout/visual materials developed by CAST staff or contractors. CAST owns the copyright for visual materials produced by staff and/or contractors. Requests to use these materials may be made to CAST staff and will be reviewed by the CAST Board of Directors.
The CAST Task Force publication must be appropriately cited or referenced in the new work. The relationship between the CAST publication and the subsequent work should be transparent to readers.
The full Task Force (Chair[s], Authors, and Reviewers) must be informed of plans to pursue publication outside of CAST. Task Force members must be given the opportunity to indicate whether or not they wish to be listed as contributors. Notification must be completed by the individual contributors pursuing Post-CAST publishing opportunities. CAST staff will provide contact information for members who need to be notified.
CAST staff must be informed in advance of the intent to submit a derived work to an external outlet. Ongoing updates regarding progress or outcome are not required.
CAST will not pay page charges, open access fees, or other publication costs associated with external submissions. Any such costs are the responsibility of the submitting contributors or their institutions.
Questions regarding whether a proposed external submission constitutes a sufficiently new and independent work should be discussed with CAST staff and, where appropriate, within the Task Force. Additions and/or expansions upon the original work can always be published through CAST as a follow-up. Contact CAST staff for more information.
Work groups are composed of Representative Members (who represent CAST organizational members) and Legacy Members (past Board of Directors members who choose to remain active). Both are eligible to vote, subject to the limitations below.
Legacy Member votes may not exceed 33% of the final vote count. If this threshold is exceeded, sufficient Legacy Member votes will be removed from consideration. This limitation applies to all work group decisions.
All work group votes are quorum-based. A quorum is achieved when a simple majority of active work group members participate. Members who abstain count toward quorum but are not counted in vote totals.
Members who have not completed onboarding or who have not attended four consecutive meetings without communicating their absence to CAST staff are considered inactive and are not eligible to vote, nor do they count toward quorum. No official action may be taken without a quorum.
Work groups operate using a simplified form of Robert's Rules of Order. Before any vote, the Chair calls for a motion; the motion must be seconded before a vote may proceed. The Chair then provides an opportunity for discussion before formally calling for the vote.
Votes may be conducted by voice vote, show of hands, electronic polling platform, or another method deemed appropriate by CAST staff and work group leadership. Approval requires a simple majority of eligible voting members participating.
Following discussion, a work group may vote to:
Whenever possible, votes should occur during regularly scheduled monthly meetings. If quorum is not present, CAST staff will distribute a virtual vote by email, open until quorum is achieved. Weekly reminder emails will be sent until quorum requirements are satisfied.
Leadership elections select the work group Co-Chair, who will subsequently transition into the Chair role after a one-year Co-Chair term. Elections should be conducted during a regularly scheduled meeting when quorum is present. If not, CAST staff will distribute a virtual ballot open for one week. Election requires a simple majority vote.
In the event of a tie, all Legacy Member votes are removed and the vote recalculated using only Representative Member votes. If the tie remains, the matter returns to the work group for further discussion and a subsequent vote.
CAST staff are responsible for administering all official votes and certifying results — including verifying quorum, distributing and collecting electronic ballots, monitoring Legacy Member voting compliance, and maintaining official voting records. The certified result announced by CAST staff constitutes the official action of the work group.
All official votes shall be documented in work group meeting recaps or other official records. Voting records must include: the matter under consideration, the date of the vote, whether the vote occurred in a meeting or electronically, confirmation that quorum was satisfied, the final certified result, and any adjustments made to comply with the Legacy Member voting limitation.
These procedures apply uniformly to all three CAST work groups. In the event of a conflict between this policy and CAST Bylaws or Board-adopted governance policies, the governing CAST Bylaws or Board policy shall prevail.
Work Group membership provides a unique opportunity to shape science-based agricultural communication, collaborate with experts across disciplines, contribute to impactful publications and programs, and help guide the future direction of CAST.
Work Groups serve as the primary mechanism through which CAST identifies emerging issues, develops publication and program concepts, recruits subject matter experts, and advises CAST leadership. They are the most direct way for Organizational Members to voice their concerns and impact CAST's direction.
Representative Members are appointed by CAST organizational members to serve as the primary liaison between their organization and CAST. They maintain two-way communication, ensuring CAST is aware of activities and priorities within their organization while sharing relevant CAST activities back to organizational leadership.
Representative Members serve as voting members and are eligible to serve as Work Group Co-Chair and Chair, and subsequently the CAST Board of Directors, subject to the requirements in CAST's Policy for Standardized Work Group Leadership Succession.
Legacy Members are former CAST Board of Directors members who choose to remain active after their Board service. They serve as experienced professionals and scientific experts, not as representatives of any organization. Legacy Members are encouraged to share expertise, provide mentorship, and assist with identifying publication and outreach opportunities. Their votes may not exceed 33% of the total votes counted in any Work Group decision.
All Work Group members are expected to actively participate. Members are encouraged to:
Work Groups meet monthly throughout the year. CAST staff distribute agenda materials prior to meetings and meeting summaries afterward. Members who cannot attend are encouraged to communicate their absence in advance. Members with known recurring scheduling conflicts should notify CAST staff and may remain active provided they continue engaging through materials and communications.
All Work Group members are encouraged to participate in the CAST Annual Meeting, held over multiple days during the fall. In-person attendance is strongly encouraged for networking and collaboration. The business meeting during the Annual Meeting serves as the official Work Group meeting for that month and generally includes a virtual participation option.
To maintain active status, members are expected to complete onboarding, maintain reasonable participation, attend monthly meetings whenever possible, and communicate extended absences to CAST staff. Members who fail to attend four consecutive meetings without communication may be designated as inactive, making them ineligible to vote and not counted toward quorum.
Representative Members are generally encouraged to serve three-year terms, though term length may be adjusted as needed. There is no fixed term requirement provided both the member and their organization wish to continue and the member remains actively engaged.
New members participate in an onboarding process covering: introduction to CAST and its mission, overview of Work Group structure and responsibilities, voting procedures and leadership opportunities, and an introduction to communication channels and staff contacts. Outgoing members are offered an exit discussion with CAST staff, and former members are encouraged to remain engaged through individual membership and events.
Members are expected to contribute to discussions in a respectful, professional, and collaborative manner guided by CAST's commitment to science-based communication. Members should engage respectfully, focus on scientific evidence, consider diverse perspectives, avoid representing personal opinions as official CAST positions, and communicate disagreements constructively.
Members are encouraged to introduce students to CAST and its mission — including encouraging students to join CAST, attend events, apply for scholarships, and engage with CAST resources for professional development. Work Group members play an important role in connecting the next generation of agricultural and environmental science professionals with CAST.
Legacy Members can vote on work group issues, provided the Legacy vote does not exceed 33% of the overall work group vote. This limitation applies to all decisions, including leadership elections.
The chair serves a one-year term, immediately succeeding their one-year term as co-chair. The time commitment is approximately four hours per month. Chair duties include:
The co-chair serves a one-year term preceding their term as chair. The time commitment is approximately two to four hours per month. Co-chair duties include:
To be eligible to serve as chair, a member must first successfully complete a term as co-chair. Only Representative Members are eligible to serve as chairs and co-chairs. Members may serve a maximum of 3 full co-chair/chair cycles. Exceptions may be granted if no eligible and willing candidates are identified following reasonable recruitment efforts.
Elections are held annually: nominations in November, elections in December, terms beginning in January.
Elections are held at the monthly meeting immediately following the nominations meeting. The new co-chair is elected by simple majority of those present, provided quorum is met. If quorum is not met, a virtual vote is held and remains open for one week. In the event of a tie, a runoff election is held between the candidates with the highest number of votes. Once results are finalized, the incoming co-chair begins their term at the start of the next calendar year.
When a new election cycle is complete, a transition meeting is held between the outgoing chair, the incoming chair, and the newly elected co-chair, with at least one CAST staff member present. The purpose is to support leadership continuity and ensure an effective transition. All important documents, notes, and information are shared at this meeting.
If the chair steps down before their term ends, the co-chair immediately assumes the chair position and a nomination/election cycle is held to elect a new co-chair. The newly serving chair completes the original chair's remaining term before beginning their own full chair term. During the interim, the acting chair assumes both leadership roles.
If the co-chair resigns before their term ends, a nomination and election cycle occurs immediately to elect a new co-chair. The newly elected co-chair completes the remainder of the original co-chair's term before beginning their term as chair. During this process, the chair assumes the duties of both positions.
If both the chair and co-chair resign simultaneously, a full election cycle occurs with candidates indicating willingness to serve as chair, co-chair, or either position. In this case, the requirement of serving as co-chair before chair is waived. The member with the second-highest number of votes assumes the co-chair position. CAST staff will assume the duties of both positions during the nomination and election process.
If a chair or co-chair is unable to fulfill the responsibilities of their position, CAST leadership may initiate a discussion regarding transition or replacement. In that case, the process moves forward as outlined in the event of resignation.
Yes, but only in a limited capacity. AI tools may be used to help organize content, improve clarity or grammar, summarize existing literature, or refine outlines. They may not be used to generate the substantive content of your work or produce figures and graphics.
Any use — even limited — must be fully disclosed in the "Methods" or "Acknowledgements" section of the publication, including the tool name, specific model, and version used.
No. Generative AI tools do not qualify for authorship under CAST policy. Authorship implies accountability for the work, which can only be held by a human. You, as the author, are solely responsible for any AI-generated content used in your submission.
Yes — this is the only permitted use of AI for reviewers. You may use an AI tool to improve the clarity, grammar, or readability of your own written feedback, provided that:
All other review tasks — analyzing the manuscript, summarizing submitted work, assessing scientific validity, or drafting substantive comments — must be performed by you alone.
Failure to disclose the use of generative AI tools is considered a violation of CAST's research and review integrity standards. CAST reviews this policy regularly, and compliance is expected from all authors and reviewers.
Yes, but only after the official CAST rollout and only if the submission constitutes a new and substantively different publication. This means more than minor edits — the new work must reflect additional analysis, updated framing, or other substantive changes beyond what appeared in the CAST publication.
You must also notify all Task Force members, inform CAST staff in advance, and cite the original CAST publication in the new work.
No. CAST owns the copyright for visual materials, design, and layout work produced by CAST staff or contractors. Your external submission must be developed from the original draft you submitted to the Task Force — not from CAST's edited or designed version.
If you wish to use CAST-owned visuals, you must make a formal request to CAST staff, which will be reviewed by the CAST Board of Directors.
Yes. The full Task Force — including the Chair(s), all Authors, and all Reviewers — must be notified of your plans to publish externally. Each member must be given the opportunity to indicate whether they wish to be listed as a contributor on the external submission. CAST staff can provide contact information for Task Force members you need to reach.
No. CAST will not pay page charges, open access fees, or any other publication costs associated with external submissions. These costs are the responsibility of the submitting contributors or their institutions.
A quorum is achieved when a simple majority of active work group members participate in the vote. Members who abstain count toward quorum but are not included in the vote totals. Members who have not completed onboarding or who have missed four consecutive meetings without notifying CAST staff are considered inactive and do not count toward quorum.
Yes, Legacy Members can vote on all work group business, including publication proposals and leadership elections. However, their votes are capped at 33% of the total votes counted. If Legacy Member votes exceed that threshold, enough are removed from consideration to bring the total into compliance.
If quorum is not reached during the meeting, CAST staff will distribute a virtual vote by email to all eligible members. For publication proposals, the vote remains open until quorum is achieved, with weekly reminder emails sent in the meantime. For leadership elections, the virtual vote remains open for one week.
Missing four consecutive meetings without communicating your absence to CAST staff may result in being designated as inactive. Inactive members cannot vote and do not count toward quorum.
If you have a known recurring conflict (e.g., a teaching schedule that changes by semester), notify CAST staff. You can remain an active member as long as you stay engaged through meeting materials, email discussions, and other Work Group communications.
Representative Members are generally encouraged to serve three-year terms, but there is no fixed term requirement as long as both the member and their organization wish to continue and the member remains actively engaged. Organizations should notify CAST staff when appointing a new representative to ensure continuity.
You must first serve a full one-year term as Co-Chair. To become Co-Chair, you (or another member) can nominate you during the November nomination period. Elections are held in December, with new terms beginning in January. Only Representative Members are eligible — Legacy Members may not serve as Chair or Co-Chair.
Good candidates actively participate in work group meetings, demonstrate a willingness to serve, and can commit approximately two to four hours per month as Co-Chair and four hours per month as Chair.
The Co-Chair immediately assumes the Chair position. A new nomination and election cycle is then held to elect a replacement Co-Chair. The new Chair will complete the remainder of the original Chair's term before beginning their own full one-year term. During the interim before a new Co-Chair is elected, the acting Chair assumes both leadership roles.
Yes. Members may serve a maximum of 3 full co-chair/chair cycles. Exceptions may be granted if no eligible and willing candidates are identified following reasonable recruitment efforts by CAST staff and the incoming Chair.
