Procedures for COUNTER Compliance
Processes and procedures for COUNTER Compliance
New vendors are required to sign the COUNTER Declaration of Compliance and to join COUNTER as a member or pay a registration fee.
They are then included in the registry of compliant vendors and may use the COUNTER logo on their websites and on their COUNTER usage reports.
Following signature of the Declaration of Compliance, vendors have six months in which to undertake an independent audit to ensure that the usage reports provided by vendors are in line with the COUNTER principles of credibility, consistency and comparability, and that they follow uniform agreed procedures. If a vendor submits multiple reports for audit, all of them must pass for the audit to be deemed satisfactory.
Once a satisfactory audit has been carried out, the auditors will provide COUNTER with an official opinion letter and audit report. The vendor will remain listed on the register and can continue to use the COUNTER logo.
Control procedures
If COUNTER does not receive a satisfactory auditor’s report within the specified time, the following control procedures apply:
New vendors having signed the Declaration of Compliance:
| 6 months after signing |
A reminder from COUNTER that the first auditor’s report is required |
| 8 months after signing |
A final reminder from COUNTER that the first auditor’s report is required |
| 9 months after signing |
The vendor is removed from the registry and asked to sign a Declaration of Non-compliance, stating that their usage statistics are not COUNTER compliant and that they will not use the COUNTER logo |
Publishers and vendors previously audited:
| 3 months following due audit date |
A reminder from COUNTER that an auditor’s report is required |
| 4 months following due audit date |
A further reminder from COUNTER that an auditor’s report is required |
| 5 months following due audit date |
A final reminder from the Chair of the COUNTER Executive Committee that an auditor’s report is required
|
| 6 months following due audit date |
The vendor is removed from the registry and asked to sign a Declaration of Non-compliance, stating that their usage statistics are not COUNTER complaint and that they will not use the COUNTER logo |
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