Scholarly Publishing Groups Issue White Paper on Academic Use of Journal Content

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

FOR RELEASE 9 MAY 2007

Scholarly Publishing Groups Issue White Paper on Academic Use of 
Journal Content

Three prestigious organizations representing the international 
scholarly publishing community today issued a White Paper on the 
academic use of journal content.  The position paper was issued 
by the International Association of Scientific, Technical and 
Medical Publishers (STM), the Professional and Scholarly 
Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers 
(AAP/PSP) and the Association of Learned and Professional Society 
Publishers (ALPSP) in an effort to create a more balanced 
understanding of the actual rights policies in place at most 
journals, and in the hope of tempering the often overheated 
rhetoric regarding the role of copyright in scholarly 
communication.

The White Paper notes that the vast majority of academic 
publishers offer a high level of usage rights by authors and 
their institutions, including use within the classroom and 
internal postings for scholar-friendly uses. In addition, the 
position paper points out that the principles of fair use, fair 
comment or fair dealing and the fact that copyright protection 
does not extend to underlying facts or ideas, (but only to their 
expression) gives academics and critics the freedom to note and 
comment on research developments by criticizing and quoting 
published articles, without the need to obtain any form of 
consent.

The position paper lays out general terms for the appropriate 
balancing of rights for academic journal publishing, noting that:

*Academic research authors and their institutions should be able 
to use and post the content that such authors and institutions 
themselves provide (as noted above, most publishers already 
provide for this) for internal institutional non-commercial 
research and education purposes; and

*Publishers should be able to determine when and how the official 
publication record occurs, and to derive the revenue benefit from 
the publication and open posting of the official record (the 
final published article), and its further distribution and access 
in recognition of the value of the services they provide.

The complete text of the paper can be found at: www.stm-assoc.org,
www.pspcentral.org, www.alpsp.org

The International Association of Scientific, Technical and 
Medical Publishers - STM - is a global trade association 
representing the interest of about 100 scientific, technical, 
medical and scholarly publishers, collectively responsible for 
more than 60% of the global annual output of research articles, 
over half the active research journals and the publication of 
tens of thousands of print and electronic books, reference works 
and databases. STM 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. www.stm-assoc.org

Members of the Professional/Scholarly Publishing (PSP) Division 
of the Association of American Publishers, Inc. (AAP) publish the 
vast majority of materials used in the U. S. by scholars and 
professionals in science, medicine, technology, business, law, 
reference, social science and the humanities and are worldwide 
disseminators, archivists, shapers and enhancers of scientific 
research via print and electronic means.  The Division's 100 plus 
professional societies, commercial publishers and university 
presses produce books, journals, computer software, databases and 
electronic products. www.pspcentral.org

The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers 
(ALPSP) is the international association for non-profit 
publishers and those who work with them to disseminate scholarly 
and professional information.  It has over 350 members in 38 
countries, between them publishing nearly 10,000 journals as well 
as books, databases and other products and services.  ALPSP 
provides representation of the sector, good practice guidelines, 
collective services, professional development activities and a 
wealth of information and advice.  www.alpsp.org

For further information please contact:

Michael Mabe, STM
email mabe@stm-assoc.org
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