Subject
Pick one of the following: Governance and Organization;  Academic
Affairs; Research and Public Service; Student Affairs; Personnel;
Financial Affairs; Physical Plant; Athletics; Information Technology;
Miscellaneous.
Revised
March 2024 - Date policy is revised, if applicable. To be determined at time policy is
formally adopted.
Effective Date
March 6, 2024 - When policy was first adopted
Review Date
March 2027 - When the policy is due for review
Responsible Party
Division or office primarily responsible for this policy

 

 
This is actually a Word Template file (DOTX) you can use to draft policies in Word. You can also download the Word DOCX template.
 

 

CONTENTS

 

 

100.00 Introduction and Purpose

This is the mission and vision of the policy and can include statements of purpose, other regulations or legistlation it is referencing, or other intra-MSU policy connections.

It could be multiple paragraphs, or even have sub-sections.

110.00 Example Subsection

The title of this subsection is set as a Heading 3, while the main section title is set as a Heading 2. 

  1. A subsection could have an ordered list, like this, within it.
  2. We will go over the preferred format of ordered lists and nesting.
  3. Who does not like a good ordered list?

120.00 Ordered List Hierarchy

  1. The preferred hirearchy for ordered lists in Policy.
  2. Starts with regular numbers
    1. Then, in child elements, switch to upper-case letters.
    2. And then if you have items under one of these elements.
      1. The children under than can be
      2. Lowercase letters.
        1. Finally, if you have a 3rd nested list, use roman numerals.
        2. And if you continue with nesting, you could use lowercase roman numerals.

130.00 Unordered Lists

  • One
  • Could look
  • Like this
    • With a few
    • Child items

200.00 First main section of policy

Here is the first main section of the policy. I will include a few paragraphs from a different policy as filler content.

A Data Use Agreement (DUA) is an agreement used for the transfer of data that may be subject to some restriction on its use. A DUA serves to define the terms and conditions that apply to the transfer, storage, handling, access, distribution, and ultimate disposition of data shared under the agreement.

Specifically, DUAs address important issues such as limitations on use of the data, obligations to safeguard the data, liability for harm arising from the use or misuse of the data, publication review and approval requirements, and privacy or other legal rights that may be associated with certain types of confidential or protected data (for example, data derived from human subjects research).

300.00 Agreements Governed by this Policy (alphabetical)

310.00 Data Use Agreement

A Data Use Agreement (DUA) is an agreement used for the transfer of data that may be subject to some restriction on its use. A DUA serves to define the terms and conditions that apply to the transfer, storage, handling, access, distribution, and ultimate disposition of data shared under the agreement.

Specifically, DUAs address important issues such as limitations on use of the data, obligations to safeguard the data, liability for harm arising from the use or misuse of the data, publication review and approval requirements, and privacy or other legal rights that may be associated with certain types of confidential or protected data (for example, data derived from human subjects research).

310.10 Items Within a Subsection

Use a Heading 4 for the title of this section. In this example, this subsection, 310.10 is under the 310.00 Data Use Agreement section.

320.00 Material Transfer Agreement

A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) governs the transfer of biological and other tangible research materials (e.g., cell lines, cultures, bacteria, nucleotides, proteins, transgenic animals, pharmaceuticals, seeds, and chemicals) between the University and a third party for research or non-commercial purposes. An MTA establishes the permitted uses of the materials, protects proprietary material, and establishes the rights granted to each party with regard to the use of the material and any intellectual property developed using the materials.

400.00 Noncompliance

Many policies have a section on what happens when actions are out of compliance. 

Agreements made in violation of this policy, i.e., without proper authorization, signatures, or review by the appropriate offices, or that violate the law or Board of Regents or Montana State University policies, are voidable at the discretion of the University. No contract may be voided without the approval of Procurement and Contract Services or the Office of Legal Counsel.

Employees who make or sign agreements in violation of this policy may be subject to additional mandatory signature authority training, revocation of signatory authority, and potential personal liability for the agreement and any damages caused to the university. Failure to comply with this policy, including egregious, repeated, or intentional violations of this policy, may be considered a violation of the professional standards expected of University employees and may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.