APA Revises Print and Electronic Re-Use Policies to Enhance Dissemination of STM Information

New Policies Aligned Closely With Objectives of International Scientific Community

DATE: July 18, 2005
CONTACT: William C. Hayward
(202) 336-5652

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Psychological Association (APA) has revised its policy on re-use of content from its scholarly journals and books to facilitate wider dissemination of scientific information while maintaining its historical commitment to author rights.

The policy provides a new level of automatic permission for re-use of a limited number of figures and tables as well as text extracts. Authors and publishers now have automatic permission to re-use the following in a published book or journal:

• A maximum of three figures or tables from an APA journal article or book chapter
• Up to five figures or tables from a whole book
• Single text extracts of less than 400 words
• Series of text extracts that total less than 800 words

In addition, permission to use APA copyrighted material in a print product will now allow the publisher to use the content in the equivalent electronic version of the book or journal. "We have found in our own scientific publishing that it is critical for the print and electronic versions of material to be identical," said Gary VandenBos, PhD, APA's Publisher. "Not allowing re-use of data in the electronic version creates untenable holes in the scholarly literature."

Use of any other material (for example, scales and full text) still requires APA permission as detailed in the full policy (see APA Permissions Policy).

The policy follows closely the permissions guidelines adopted by the International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers (STM). APA's requirement in all cases for separate, direct permission from authors is the major difference between the APA and STM policies.

"We believe our new policy maximizes benefit to all stakeholders in the scientific communication process," said VandenBos. "It encourages broad dissemination of scientific information, while maintaining our long tradition of assuring authors that we will protect their material."

APA maintains a Permissions Office (800-374-2722 or 202-336-5650, E-mail, and permission web forms to handle all requests for re-use that extend beyond the automatic permissions listed above.

About APA Databases

APA Databases are leading information resources in the behavioral sciences. The PsycINFO® abstract database provides access to international professional literature in psychology and such related disciplines as neuroscience, medicine, psychiatry, social work, nursing, sociology, business, education, pharmacology, and physiology, with comprehensiveness and quality unmatched by any A&I database or federated search resource. Providing both a deep backfile and timely access to current research through weekly updates, PsycINFO spans the history of the discipline, from the origins of psychology in the nineteenth century to the cutting-edge findings of today's behavioral sciences. PsycARTICLES®, an essential complement to PsycINFO, is a one-stop source for electronic access to the full text of articles from APA's authoritative, peer-reviewed scholarly journals. PsycBOOKS™ is a full-text collection of chapters from authored and edited scholarly volumes published by APA, as well as a selection of classic works in psychology from other publishers. PsycEXTRA® is a database of the gray literature in psychology and related behavioral fields, providing access to relevant material published outside the traditional peer reviewed journal or scholarly book. PsycCRITIQUES™ is a unique electronic periodical delivering 15-20 reviews weekly of current professional psychology books, as well as reviews from a psychological perspective of films and trade books.

About APA

The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare.

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