Administrative Guidelines and Operating Agreements

What the GIM is

The GIM is a private research and collaboration network. Membership is by invitation from one of its members and requires the approval of the group of researchers as a whole. Its main purpose is to join efforts to advance scientific production through inter-institutional research, special issues, and the organization of international academic events.

The group also aims to give greater visibility to the constructs that bring it together: metacognition, self-regulated learning, and executive functions, with applications in education, clinical settings, and everyday life. It does so from a cross-cultural perspective, because it recognizes its ethnographic, cultural, and social diversity and seeks to make its impact on learning processes more visible.

It is a non-profit working group, with no specific affiliation to any university or research center and no large budgets. What unites its members is a genuine desire to collaborate on research, outreach, and writing projects they are passionate about. For this reason, the group is governed by two basic principles: respect and cooperation.

Operating principles

Respect

The word respect comes from the Latin respectus and refers to attention, consideration, esteem, and recognition toward other people, ideas, or institutions. It is expressed in attitudes and behaviors that make harmonious coexistence possible.

To uphold this value, the members have agreed that:

Each country will be represented in the group by one or, at most, two researchers who have been suggested or recommended for membership by someone in the group.
Given the network’s multicultural vocation, new members will only be admitted from countries not yet represented.
A plenary meeting of all members, lasting an hour and a half, will be held on the last Friday of each month.
Commitment, ethical conduct, and ongoing communication with the other members will be considered essential for remaining in the group.

Cooperation

The word cooperation comes from the Latin cooperor, meaning to work together. It is more than collaborating: it not only brings actions together to foster personal interaction and gather similar interests, but also aligns that interaction toward a common goal. It is grounded in mutual aid, responsibility, and solidarity.

It involves the ability to work effectively and respectfully, take on commitments, build consensus for decision-making, share responsibilities in collaborative tasks, and value individual opinions and contributions in light of the common good. To uphold this value, the members have agreed that:

All researchers in the group collaborate on a shared annual research plan.
Some members may take part in other research projects, depending on the calls and opportunities that arise. These calls will be public, and all members will have equal access to them.
All members of the group are listed as authors of the outputs derived from the annual research plan; as a result, these studies have very large samples and are authored by everyone.
Given the large number of members, working subgroups are being created. Any member able to meet the commitments and outputs agreed upon in each subgroup may join it.
Each subgroup will be led by a member of the group for a two-year term.
Scientific outputs derived from the subgroups must credit and refer to the research group as a whole, even if only the subgroup’s members appear as authors.
Any other subgroups derived from the International Group on Metacognition must be made up of members of the full group. Researchers who are not part of the GIM may not speak on behalf of the group.
All work plans for outputs derived from the joint actions of GIM members will be drawn up, presented, and approved at the monthly general meetings.
Collaborations with researchers from other countries who are not part of the GIM are recognized, provided that the group’s representative in that country authorizes the collaboration, leads the process from that country, and gives credit to the GIM.

In line with the agreements of its members, at the GIM we believe in the ethical values of honesty, transparency, social responsibility, and concern for others. This is what binds us together as a working group.

Updated agreements for 2025

Guidelines and administrative decisions arising from the Costa Rica meeting.

No new GIM members will be admitted during 2025. This decision seeks to consolidate the core working group and to establish who truly has the time and commitment to take on one of the two possible roles.
Building on the academic ties and networks formed at the Costa Rica meeting, two working roles were established:
- Country representative: one or, at most, two people with time to perform the role and the commitment to lead it in their context.
- Academic ally: a new role involving specific collaborations with the group from certain countries, in which at least two or three GIM researchers take part.
Researchers accepted as academic allies must be recommended by at least three GIM members. By proposing a collaboration, they agree that any GIM member may join the project they put forward.
All projects proposed to the GIM must be open to any member of the group. Anyone who wishes to take part in all ongoing projects and collaborations may do so, provided they have the time to meet the commitments of each subgroup.
Those who wish to apply for membership will first take part in a collaboration process with some GIM researchers, who will endorse their admission.

Updated agreements for 2026

Guidelines and administrative decisions arising from the GIM’s research experience and its current trajectory.

Criteria for active membership

Participation as an active member of the group and as the country representative requires:

An active affiliation with a recognized university in the country.
Publication of at least two articles in indexed journals during the past year.
Introduction and recommendation by a GIM member.
Good relationships with colleagues from other countries that support the development of the work agenda.

Grounds for separation from the group

The following are administrative grounds for separation from the working group:

Personal conflicts that hinder the implementation of research and scientific production activities in the country.
Charging or collecting money to fund research activities.
Carrying out business activities through the GIM research network.
Actions that damage the group’s good name.

Separation procedure

An individual conversation to analyze the problem situation.
Consultation on possible solutions.
A written individual communication requesting a review of the situation.
An agreement on temporary separation, through administrative channels, to resolve the problem situation.
Official communication to the group about the temporary separation, if required.
Possible review of a request for readmission.

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