Voluntary	  principles	
  for	  article	  sharing	
  on	  scholarly	  collaboration	  networks	
  (Revised	  8	  June	  2015)	
  	  Scholarly	
  research	
  is	  by	  its	  nature	
  collaborative.	
  	  Teams	  of	  researchers	  and	  scientists	  in	  the	
  academic	  and	  not-­‐for-­‐profit	  sectors	  share	  experience,	  expertise,	  and	  facilities	  in	  order	  to	  advance	  human	  knowledge	  and	
  understanding.	  Nowhere	  is	  this	  more	  evident	  than	  in	  the	  sharing	
  of	  scholarly	  articles	  –	  the	  majority	  of	  which	  include	  multiple	  authors,	  often	  from	  different	  institutions	  and	  countries.	  Sharing	
  of	  articles	  and	  supplementary	  material	  is	  thus	
  an	  important	  factor	
  in	  advancing	  research.	  	  	  As	  research	
  groups	
  have	  become	  more	  interdisciplinary	  and	
  international,	  such	
  sharing	  has	  increased,	  enabled	  by	  the	  rise	
  of	  internet	  tools	  and	  technologies.	  
Scholarly	  collaboration	  networks	  offer	  researchers	  the	  opportunity	
  to	
  discover	  and	  share	
  articles	  and	  data,	  but	  the	  sharing	  experience	  	  can	  be	  inefficient,	  inconsistent,	
  hindered	  by	  legal	  uncertainty	  and	  frustrating	
  for	  academic	  researchers,	  institutions,	
  collaboration	
  networks	  and	  publishers.	  	  	  	  We	  would	  like	  to	  make	  sharing	  of	  subscription	  and	  licensed	  content	  simple	  and	  seamless	
  for	  academic	  researchers	  so	  that	  it	  is	  consistent	
  with	  access	  and	  usage	  rights	  associated	  with	  articles	  while	  enhancing	
  collaboration.	  We	  believe	  publishers	  and	  scholarly	  collaboration	
  networks	  can	  work	
  together	  to	  facilitate	  sharing,	  which	  benefits	  researchers,	  institutions,	
  and	  society	  as	  a	  whole,	  with	  a	  core	  set	  of	  principles	  that	  maximize	  this	  experience	  for	  all.	  	
  Open	  Access	  publication	
  provides	  one	  route	  to	  enable	
  sharing	  but	  does	
  not	  address	
  sharing	  of	  subscription	  and	  licensed	  content.	  These	  voluntary	  principles	
  are	
  intended	
  to	
  address	  that	  gap,	  and	  be	  complementary	  to,	  not	  as	  a	  substitute	  for,	
  Open	  Access	  publication	  or	  self-­‐archiving.	  They	  are	  also	  not	  meant	  to	  address	  sharing	  by	  and	  between	  commercial	  organizations.	  	  The	  signatories	  to	  these	  principles	  believe:	  	  • Publishers	  have	  a	  core	  commitment	  to	  facilitate	  the	  dissemination	  and	  discovery	  of	  their	  authors’	  scholarly	  articles.	
  	  ••

	  •Sharing	  should	  be	  allowed	  within	  research	  collaboration	  groups,	  namely	  groups	
  of	
  scholars	  or	  researchers	  invited	  to	  participate	
  in	  specific	  research	  collaborations.	  	
  Such	  groups	
  would:	  •be	  of	  the	  size	  that	  is	  typical	
  for	  research	  groups	  of	  that	
  discipline	  •only	  share	  articles	  within	  and	  for	  the	
  purposes	  of	  the	  group	  •allow	  article	  sharing	  between	  subscribers	  and	  non-­‐subscribers	  within	  the	  group	  	  	  •include	  commercial	  researchers,	  subject	
  to	  publisher	  policy	  or	  appropriate	  licensing	  •include	  members	  of	  the	  wider	  public	  participating	  for	
  the	
  purposes	  of	  the	  group	  	  	  Publishers	  and	  libraries	  should	  be	  able	  to	  measure	  the	  amount	  and	  type	
  of	  sharing,	  using	  standards	  such	
  as	
  COUNTER,	  to	  better	  understand	  the	  habits	  of	  their	
  readers	
  and	
  quantify	  the	  value	  of	  the	  services	  they	  provide.	  
Initiatives	  to	  facilitate	  sharing	  should:	  •be	  based	
  on	  standards	  to	  support	  the	  tools	  and	  platforms	
  required	  by	  researchers	  •be	  open	  to	  all	  participants	  supporting	  these	
  principles	  •integrate	  access	  and	
  usage	  rights	  and	  data	  reporting	  into	  research	  workflows	  •ensure	  that	  usage	
  and	  activity	  data	  is	  managed	  in	  a	  manner	  consistent	  with	  personal	
  privacy	  and	  security	  laws	  and	  requirements	  	  •	  •	  	  	  Public	  posting	  of	  article	
  metadata	  and	
  open	  access	
  articles	
  in	  scholarly	
  collaboration	  networks	  should	  be	  encouraged.	  
Publisher	
  policies	
  on	  research	  collaboration	  group	
  sharing	  and	  public	
  posting	
  of	  articles	  should	  be	  clear	  and	  easily	  discoverable,	  and	  we	  call	  on	  publishers	  to	  work	  toward	  this	  goal.