STM Publishers clarify position on authors' rights

["Janice Kuta" <kuta@stm-assoc.org>]

STM Publishers clarify position on authors' rights

OXFORD, UK, MONDAY, 10 MARCH 2008 1700GMT

The debate on the rights that authors have (or indeed it is 
claimed inaccurately, do not have) over their published works 
continues to rage, and much coverage has been given to 
purportedly restrictive practices or policies, when in fact they 
do not exist for the majority of publishers.

The most recent examples surround the vote of the Faculty of Arts 
and Sciences at Harvard for university ownership and distribution 
of research papers (February 2008).  One advocate of the Harvard 
policy claims that this step was taken because "the scholarly 
publishing system has become far more restrictive than it need be 
[...  m]any publishers will not even allow scholars to use and 
distribute their own work." (See 
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2008/02.14/99-fasvote.html).

This is not only an inaccurate perception of the role of 
publishers and copyright, but also means that advocating authors 
to modify existing journal publishing agreements with "copyright 
addenda" is simply a call for needless bureaucracy.

In order to provide clarity to the debate and to clear up 
misunderstandings, STM, the International Association of 
Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers, has today released an 
evidence-based "Statement on Journal Publishing Agreements and 
Copyright Addenda. (See 
http://www.stm-assoc.org/documents-statements-public-co/)

STM publishers invariably allow the authors of journal articles 
to use their published papers in their own teaching and for 
educational purposes generally within their institutions.  Most 
journals have policies that permit authors to provide copies of 
their papers to research colleagues, and to re-use portions of 
their papers in further works or books.  Although some 
news-oriented science and medical magazines have a few 
restrictions on pre-publication posting, almost all research 
journals permit the posting by the author or the author's 
institution of some version of the paper on the Internet.

Michael Mabe, CEO of STM commented: "Many of the usage policies 
we describe have been in place for many years.  Our industry 
regularly reviews the needs and interests expressed by scholars, 
researchers and educators, and responds directly to these. 
Changes reflecting the needs of pre-print servers and 
institutional repositories are a case in point. Policy debate 
should be well-informed and based on evidence and consultation."

ENDS

STM is an international trade association of about 100 
scientific, technical, medical and scholarly publishers, 
collectively responsible for more than 60% of the global annual 
output of research articles, 55% of the active research journals 
and the publication of tens of thousands of print and electronic 
books, reference works and databases. It is the only 
international trade association equally representing all types of 
STM publishers - large and small companies, not for profit 
organisations, learned societies, traditional, primary, secondary 
publishers and new entrants to global publishing.

Contact: Kim Beadle, STM, beadle@stm-assoc.org or phone +44 1865 339321

Janice E. Kuta
Director of Marketing & Membership
International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers
E-mail: kuta@stm-assoc.org
Tel: 212-533-0832
Fax: 212-420-8407
www.stm-assoc.org