Abstracts, scholarly programmes and accreditation coordination
An accreditation evidence checklist for the responsible body
The accrediting body has approved the event in principle, and now the secretariat has to produce the records it will ask for afterwards.
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The short answer
The accrediting body decides which records it needs and whether credit is awarded. The secretariat's job is to keep a checklist built from that body's own written requirements, collect each item as the event runs, and present it in the form requested.
Start the checklist when the application goes in, not after the event, because several items such as attendance and programme versions cannot be recreated later.
Build the list from the body's own words
Ask the body for its written requirements and conditions, and copy them into the checklist unchanged. Do not infer requirements from another event.
Each line should name the item, who holds it, when it is created and the date the body needs it.
Typical record categories to ask about
| Category | Question for the body | Who holds it at the event |
|---|---|---|
| Programme | Which programme version and detail must be submitted? | Secretariat, with committee approval |
| Learning objectives or session descriptions | Must these appear in a set format? | Scientific committee supplies; secretariat formats |
| Speaker information | What declarations or disclosures must be collected? | Scientific committee sets the content; secretariat collects |
| Attendance | Per session or per day, and in what form? | Secretariat, by sign-in or scan |
| Evaluation or feedback | Is it required, and what must it contain? | Body specifies; committee approves questions; secretariat collects |
| Changes after approval | How and by when must changes be reported? | Secretariat logs; committee decides content |
| Certificates issued | Is a copy or list needed? | Secretariat |
Running the checklist
- Create the checklist from the body's written requirements and send it to the chair and the committee contact for confirmation.
- Tag each item with an owner and a date, and review at each project meeting.
- Collect attendance and programme versions as they occur, using the materials version checker to keep programme versions traceable.
- Log post-approval programme changes in the run-of-show builder notes and report them to the body as it requires.
- After the event, pack the evidence in the format the body asks for and send it through the route the body has named.
Worked example · Fictional example
A two-day symposium and a three-item request
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
A fictional dermatology society's accrediting body asks for the final programme, a per-session attendance record and a list of certificates issued. The secretariat builds a checklist with those three items and the due date, and adds a fourth line for programme changes after approval because the body's conditions mention them.
On day two a session is moved. The secretariat logs the change, informs the body as its conditions require, and attaches version 3 of the programme to the evidence pack.
Use this yourself
Accreditation evidence checklist
One row per item the accrediting body requires. Fill the first column from the body's written requirements.
- Do not add requirements the body has not stated.
- Update the status column at each project meeting.
- Keep the pack in the format and route the body names.
| Requirement (body's words) | Source document | Owner | When created | Due to body | Status | Where stored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Open the tool: Conference materials and translation-version checker
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- One accrediting body with a clear requirement list and a small event.
- A team member can sign in attendees and keep programme versions.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several accrediting bodies with different evidence lists for one programme.
- Evidence is spread across committee, speakers, venue and registration teams and nobody holds the whole checklist.
Need the evidence collected as the event runs?
A conference project lead can build the checklist from the body's written requirements, assign owners, collect attendance and version records during the event and assemble the pack. What the body requires, and whether credit is awarded, remain the body's decisions.
Questions organisers ask
What if the body has not told us what it needs?
Ask in writing, and record the answer. Do not guess from other events.
Can the secretariat write the learning objectives?
No. The scientific committee supplies the content. The secretariat can format it as the body requests.
How long should evidence be kept?
Ask the body, and ask your own organisation about retention of records that name individuals.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.