The COUNTER Code of Practice Peter Shepherd Project Director COUNTER

Background: 1 zLibraries need online usage statistics yTo assess the value of different online products/services yTo make better-informed purchasing decisions yTo plan infrastructure zPublishers need online usage statistics yTo experiment with new pricing models yTo assess the relative importance of the different channels by which information reaches the market yTo provide editorial support yTo plan infrastructure, site design, etc zSTM publishing is global

Online usage statistics need to be……. zCredible zConsistent zCompatible

zWe conclude that it is largely impossible to compare data across vendors, and we recommend that comparison be limited to data from the same vendors We believe that the comprehensive standardisation of usage statistics and data delivery methods cannot be easily achieved in the short term ARL E-Metrics Phase II Report, Oct 2001

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COUNTER - endorsed by… zAAP, Association of American Publishers zALPSP, The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers zARL, Association of Research Libraries zASA, Association of Subscription Agents and Intermediaries zEDItEUR zJISC, Joint Information Systems Committee zNCLIS, National Commission on Libraries and Information Science zNISO, National Information Standards Organization zPA, The Publishers Association zSTM, International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers zUKSG, United Kingdom Serials Group

2002 Objectives zGain industry support for COUNTER zIncrease awareness of COUNTER zDeliver Release 1 of the Code of Practice: yFocus on journals and databases yWill be published on the COUNTER website

The COUNTER Code of Practice - Strategy zResponsive to requirements of the international librarian, publishing and intermediary communities yAn open, inclusive and interactive process yRepresentation of all three communities on COUNTER yComments welcome on the Code of Practice zLimit scope of Release 1 to journals and databases zSystematically extend scope of Code of Practice yHorizontally, to cover other content types, such as e-books yVertically, to provide, e.g., usage statistics for individual articles zOnly one valid version of the Code of Practice at any time zA cost-effective process for all parties involved

The COUNTER Code of Practice - main features zDefinitions of terms used zSpecifications for usage reports zData processing guidelines zAuditing zCompliance zMaintenance and development of the Code of Practice zGovernance of COUNTER

Definitions of terms used zData elements to be collected zPage views yBibliographic data, e.g. Online ISSN yPage type, e.g. full-text article ySource of page, e.g. referred from an aggregator or gateway yAuthentication of user, e.g. IP address yAccess rights, e.g. Turnaway zSession data, e.g. End time zMarket elements, e.g. Consortium member

Specifications for usage reports zContent yJournal report 1: number of full-text article requests by month and journal (Level 1) yJournal Report 2: turnaways by month and journal (Level 1) yJournal Report 3: number of item requests by month, journal and page-type (Level 2) yJournal Report 4: total searches by month and collection (Level 2) yDatabase Report 1: total searches and sessions by month and database (Level 1) yDatabase Report 2: turnaways by month and database (Level 1) yDatabase Report 3; Referrals by aggregator or gateway (Level 1) zFormat zDelivery

Data processing guidelines zOnly intended usage is covered zImpractical to describe all possible filters for all possible ways of generating usage records zCOP specifies the criteria to be met by the data to be used in building the reports yOnly successful requests will be counted xFor web server logs successful requests are those with a specific return code (200, 301, 302, 304 in 2002) yRecords generated by the server together with the requested page should be ignored yAll users double clicks within 10 seconds on an http-link should be counted as only one request (30 seconds for a pdf)

Auditing zAuditing will be required from 2004 zAuditing processes are still being developed zA list of COUNTER-approved auditors will be made available in 2003

Compliance zMore than one compliance level yLevel 1: basic set of journal and database reports yLevel 2: more detailed reports zLicence agreements yStandard clause covering COUNTER compliance zDeclaration of COUNTER compliance yFor 2003 yVendors sign declaration, and demonstrate to COUNTER that they can provide at least Level 1 Usage Reports zRegister of COUNTER-compliant vendors yMaintained on the COUNTER website

Maintenance and development of the Code of Practice zFull text of the Code of practice will be freely available on the COUNTER website zCode of Practice will be systematically extended zFeedback on Release 1 actively sought yVia test sites involving publishers and libraries yVia feedback to COUNTER via the website, committees, etc

Governance of COUNTER zExecutive Committee yChaired by Richard Gedye (OUP) zInternational Advisory Board y30+ members yTechnical Advisory Group yMarketing Committee zProject Director yPeter Shepherd

2003 and beyond zObjectives for 2003 yPromote and gain acceptance for the COUNTER Code of Practice yObtain feedback on Release 1 yComplete list of approved auditors yDefine and set up permanent administrative structure yFull implementation of Code of Practice by Vendors for 2004 zBeyond 2003 yExtend and deepen Code of Practice xCover e-books, etc xReporting at article level yMonitor usage and user behaviour?

COUNTER Founding Sponsors zAAP/PSP zALPSP zARL zASA zBlackwell Publishing zEBSCO zElsevier Science zIngenta zInstitute of Physics Publishing zJISC z Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins z Nature Publishing Group z Oxford University Press z The Publishers Association z ProQuest z Taylor & Francis z STM z UKSG

For more information……..

Online Librarian Survey z650 librarians responded y49 corporate librarians yResponses of corporate librarians did not deviate from the whole zFocus on journals & databases zNeed for a small number of reliable reports zReports should be made available on a password-controlled website, with alerts zReports must be provided at least monthly zData must be updated within two weeks of the end of the reporting period zAll of last years data and this years to date must be supplied

Vital factors for a successful implementation and uptake zStart small, test often….develop a modest core Code and build out incrementally zBuild continuous development capability into the support structure zPool our collective wisdom and work together zOne Code - parallel codes will attract minimal buy-in