Thanks to Kurt Manwaring for making us aware of this interview with Dr. Matthew Harris, on The LDS Gospel Topics Series: A Scholarly Engagement! You can read the rest of the interview HERE.

What type of vetting process did the essays go through? Who reviewed them?

Matthew L. Harris: Elder Boyd K. Packer commissioned the Essays.  Latter-day Saint scholars wrote the initial drafts, then church historians reviewed them, then it went up the chain to General Authorities, who vetted them for tone, content, and message. 

All of the Essays were signed off by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve. The Essays were truly a collaborative project of many hands and many sharp pencils.