NASW email list policies and procedures

The National Association of Science Writers maintains public email lists for the discussion of subjects of interest to science writers.

The lists are not moderated and are not limited to NASW members. Users are asked to observe listserv etiquette: If you've got a topic for discussion, give others a heads up by including that subject in the subject line; when quoting from a previous post, only quote what you need to and delete the rest.

Anyone may subscribe and read or post messages, subject to the policies on this page. Violators may be subject to enforcement action as outlined below.

Original authors retain copyright to material posted on the lists and all digests and compilations derived from them. Material may not be reproduced in other media in whole or in part without the express permission of the original author(s). Exception: By posting messages to the lists, subscribers consent to publication of brief excerpts in the cybrarian's column in ScienceWriters, the organization's quarterly newsletter.

PURPOSES OF THE LISTS:

• NASW-talk is for general discussion related to science, science writing, or journalism.
• NASW-freelance is for issues specific to the business of freelance writing.
• NASW-pr is for issues relating to public relations.
• NASW-books is for discussion relevant to writing or marketing science books.
• NASW-teach is for discussion relevant to teaching science writing.
• NASW-foia is for discussion of freedom of information issues.
• NASW-chat is for general discussions that need not be relevant to science writing.

We recognize that discussions will naturally range beyond these boundaries, and individual subscribers normally will not be warned for off-topic posts. However, please recognize that the NASW email lists are just about the only ones available for the discussion of science writing, and that's why most people subscribe. As a courtesy to other subscribers, please keep your posts on topic or take your discussions to NASW-chat.

POLICIES APPLICABLE TO ALL LISTS:

1. All NASW email lists are intended to be cordial discussions among professionals, similar to those one would hear around a water cooler or at a professional seminar. Participants must maintain a civil tone. There must be no name calling, attacks on a person's character or motives, offensive language or profanity, badgering, or excessive posting of the same opinion or position.
2. In posting material copyrighted elsewhere, members should be careful to respect the rights of copyright holders. No more of a work should be quoted than is necessary to make a point. Whether or not a long excerpt is within fair use guidelines, the National Association of Science Writers prefers — as the list members usually do — that any poster send a short excerpt and a link to the full on-line comment or article.
3. The NASW mailing lists must not be used to distribute press releases or other promotional material. You may instead consider using a service such as EurekAlert or Newswise, or placing an advertisement in NASW's quarterly journal ScienceWriters. Exception: Announcements of professional development opportunities or awards programs aimed at journalists and public information officers, such as fellowships and free classes or seminars. Please keep such announcements brief — no more than three paragraphs — and include a link to more information, if available. The list may not be used to advertise programs that charge an admissions fee. If you would like to promote programs such as this, please contact the executive director for information about purchasing an ad.
4. Advertisements for jobs or freelance opportunities may not be posted on the NASW discussion lists. Rather, upon request and payment (in most cases) of a small fee, the cybrarian will post your ad on the NASW-jobs email list. Here's how.
5. All messages on NASW's discussion lists should be signed with the author's real name.

ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES

The cybrarian has the power to enforce these policies according to the following procedures. Any enforcement action may be appealed to the NASW president:

1. If, in the judgment of the cybrarian, a subscriber violates a policy, he or she will receive a private warning. The cybrarian may also alter the listserv settings so that the subscriber's posts are held for cybrarian review before being sent to the list.
2. If a subscriber under warning violates one of these policies again within 30 days, he or she will be given a final warning.
3. If a subscriber under final warning violates one of these polices yet again within 30 days, he or she will be unsubscribed from the list, and will not be permitted to resubscribe for one year.
4. If, in the judgment of the cybrarian, a subscriber engages in an especially egregious violation of these policies, the cybrarian may summarily suspend that subscriber without moving through the three steps above.

RELATED LINKS

• Subscribe to an NASW list
• Manage your subscriptions
• A discussion on list privacy