Attachment A
Statement of Task

In response to a request from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will appoint an ad hoc committee to conduct a review of the Department of Veterans Affairs Monograph on Potential Therapeutic Effects of Service and Emotional Support Dogs on Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The committee will prepare a consensus report that critiques the draft monograph and addresses the following questions:

• Are the research design and methods well documented, scientifically rigorous, and reasonable approaches to answer the research questions?
• Does the data analysis systematically apply appropriate statistical and sound reasoning techniques to evaluate the data on the therapeutic outcomes of service dogs and emotional support dogs for Veterans with PTSD?
• Do the findings thoroughly report the data analysis and provide factual and objective answers to the research questions?
• Do the findings present original scholarship and discuss principal outcomes of primary research with reliable credibility in a factual and objective way in relation to the research question and existing knowledge?
• Does the draft monograph provide a coherent and cohesive written account and description of the main messages that are important to communicate?
• Does the draft monograph provide clear, appropriate and accurate graphics of the research results?
• What other significant improvements, if any, might be made in the draft monograph?

The consensus report will be subject to the National Academies’ external peer review process.

Co-authors of the monograph will respond to the consensus report and submit a revised monograph for a second round of review and consensus reporting by the committee. If necessary, iterative cycles of response from authors to consensus reporting will continue until the committee determines that the report is consistent with accepted scientific principles and is suitable for publication. All subsequent rounds of consensus reporting will be subject to review by the National Academies.

At the conclusion of the project, a statement of completion of review will be provided to the VA, indicating that the final version of the monograph has been reviewed for consistency with accepted scientific principles and is suitable for publication that the VA can incorporate in the monograph when published. The National Academies review does not guarantee acceptance of the monograph for publication.