The American Chemical Society has announced that its publications division will begin rolling out a new publishing agreement in mid-October that expands author rights and clarifies author responsibilities. The ACS Journal Publishing Agreement (JPA) is a result of ACS' ongoing efforts to provide the best possible publishing experience for authors of ACS' suite of 38 peer-reviewed journals, including its flagship Journal of the American Chemical Society.
The JPA replaces the previous ACS Copyright Status Form. It gives ACS authors a number of new rights regarding the use of their manuscripts and outlines certain behaviors that are expected of ACS authors. The new agreement specifically addresses what authors can do with the different versions of their manuscript - use in theses and collections, teaching and training, conference presentations, sharing with colleagues, and posting on websites and repositories. The terms under which these uses can occur are clearly identified to prevent misunderstandings that could jeopardise final publication of a manuscript. The agreement clarifies that the transfer of copyright in Supporting Information is nonexclusive. Authors may use or authorise the use of Supporting Information in which they hold copyright for any purpose and in any format. Further, it extends key terms of use to an author's previously published work with ACS - as long as the same conditions of use are met.
Behaviors expected of ACS authors are more fully addressed throughout the agreement. The JPA shines a spotlight on two current ACS programmes. The first is ACS AuthorChoice, which provides authors or their funding agencies the opportunity to sponsor immediate, unrestricted online access to their final published article. The other is ACS Articles on Request, which permits convenient, free distribution of journal article reprints online via author-directed links provided to the author when their article is published online.
The JPA is a direct result of the extensive review and consultation process undertaken by a task force consisting of ACS journal authors, editors, librarians, governance members, and legal counsel who identified activities in which today's authors typically engage, or would like to engage. The JPA incorporates the task force's recommendations and more clearly communicates ACS Publications' policies regarding the use of submitted, accepted and published works.
To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
