New STC Copyright Policy

The STC board of directors has instituted a new copyright policy (effective November 1, 2005) for Intercom, Technical Communication, and the Proceedings of STC's annual conferences. STC now requires authors to grant STC one-time print rights to articles appearing in these publications and permission to place the articles on its Web site for an indefinite period of time. Previously, STC required authors to transfer copyright of the article to STC. Proponents of the change pointed out that this policy was a deterrent to some authors who wished to retain copyright.

The editors of Intercom hope that this change will encourage authors to share their knowledge and experience with Intercom readers. Please check out the author guidelines for details on what the editors are looking for and how to pitch an article. Because of the change in policy, community newsletter editors who wish to republish articles that originally appeared in Intercom, Technical Communication, or the conference Proceedings after November 1, 2005, must first obtain permission from the authors.