University of Missouri  Extension Web publishing policies

The following policies apply to all pages/sites developed on the MU Extension public Web server, which includes domains extension.missouri.edu, 4h.missouri.edu, missourifamilies.org, frti.org, leti.org, nursingoutreach.missouri.edu, and all persons developing pages on this server. Additionally, policies pertaining to consistency, content ownership and credibility apply to all MU Extension programmatic and administrative websites, regardless of the server on which they are housed.

Comments and discussion are welcome. Please address comments to Kate Akers akersk@missouri.edu, MU Extension Web Team. 

Policy statements

The University of Missouri Extension Web Team will maintain the University of Missouri Extension main pages and statewide program pages. The Web Team is responsible for overall consistency, coordination and support of the extension Web presence. The Web Team, in cooperation with ETCS, issues accounts for Web authoring on the MU Extension server and may revoke account privileges for  violations publishing policies or violations of the acceptable use policy.

The Web Team is responsible for making sure the MU Extension Web presence is professional, well-organized, easy to navigate and adheres to the MU Extension Web publishing policies. As such, Web Team members have the authority to make changes to any content in the MU Extension website to correct problems and policy violations.

All University of Missouri Extension websites and content are a reflection of the university and its employees. As such, these websites are expected to meet a high standard of professionalism and credibility while providing unbiased, research-based information from the University of Missouri.

All content on MU Extension Web pages shall be reviewed for accuracy. Accuracy is just as important in electronic publications as it is in print publications and shall have equally high priority. Programmatic curricula must go through the same review by Program Directors as for any other type of publication.

Content (text, photos, sound, etc.) from other sources will include complete citations of the original source with the same care and consistency as in any print publication. Copyright and fair use standards apply. See: Copyright & Fair Use Information for extension Web developers.

Content that originates with the University of Missouri should be credited to the author and have an e-mail link whenever possible. Citations should be made the same as they would be in print, with the addition of a link to the source if available.

In accordance with University of Missouri Copyright Regulations, content produced by employees that is considered  "University-sponsored" may bear the following copyright statement: 
© Copyright (year) by The Curators of the University of Missouri, a public corporation 

Copyright attributed to any other portion of the University is not valid (i.e. a program, unit, office, employee, etc.).

Guidelines for linking to external sources

University of Missouri Information Technology Acceptable Use Policy

Website content re-publishing

It is NEVER an acceptable practice to re-publish content from other websites or printed sources onto your own website or into a printed publication UNLESS one of the following criteria are met:

• You have obtained specific written permission to republish from the original content provider (author or publisher). This includes content from other universities and government agencies.
• There is a clear written statement from the author or publisher that accompanies the work stating that it is permissible to republish or redistribute the work.
• The excerpt you are using is unequivocally permissible under the U.S. Copyright Office doctrine of “Fair Use.”  See: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html 
• The content is unequivocally in the public domain and free of copyrights.

University of Missouri Extension is committed to providing equal access to our services and resources to all citizens, including those with disabilities. In addition, as part of the land grant university system, Extension is funded in part by the USDA which makes us subject to the ADA laws governing government agencies. In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.

Section 508, Electronic and Information Technology, took effect June 1, 2001, requiring government agencies to make electronic content accessible to people with disabilities.  Section 504 Prohibits "excluding people because they have disabilities from any program or activity that receives federal funding." 

References:
   www.section508.gov
   www.access-board.gov

Extension Web page creators may incorporate the latest Web technologies into their pages, such as:

• DTD HTML standards to take advantage of the timeliest Web browser features
• Scripting languages, such as Java and Visual Basic
• Complimentary "plug-in" applications such as streaming audio/video, Flash, Shockwave, etc.

However, to facilitate access to content by all audiences equally, pages that incorporate these features also must

1.  Be carefully checked to make sure all scripts and plug-in pieces work correctly and do not generate error messages.
2.  Provide a reasonably equitable alternative for adaptive technology devices. This may be accomplished through use of alternate text for images, transcripts or alternative format files.

If you are unsure whether your pages or specific content pieces are accessible, please ask the Web Team to review them. We can test your content in accessible browsers, screen readers and other commonly used adaptive technology. (Note: In 2009 and 2010, the Web Team has been working closely with the MU Center for Adaptive Computing to make sure our new design is fully accessible to persons with disabilities. Please contact us with questions.)

Content must be timely and accurate. Extension website managers and the Web Team shall regularly review Web pages for freshness. Out-of-date information shall be removed from Web pages. 

No confidential employee or learner information shall be stored on a publicly accessible storage media.

Financial transactions on the MU Extension pages shall be done only via secure procedures specifically approved by the Extension Web Team and MU campus administration. 

MU Extension offices or units may not collect money through a third party Web service such as PayPal.

Extension Learner Privacy Policy (adopted February 2002):
University and federal policy in compliance with federal statute provides that "personal" information (name, address, phone numbers, etc.) about extension learners/students/partners/program participants (whether individuals, businesses or other groups) may not be provided to any outside organizations or individuals without the specific written consent of each individual or organization for which information is requested. Faculty and staff members who receive requests should not provide such information. This includes names, home or business addresses and/or phone numbers of county council members and program advisory group members and such information on newsletter lists.

Groups wishing to hire an independent contractor or otherwise engage someone who is not an employee of MU Extension to design, build or maintain Web pages housed on extension.missouri.edu will involve the extension Web Support Team, prior to signing a contract or beginning work, in all discussions regarding the scope and nature of the work the contractor will do.

Employees may not share their login id/password for an extension.missouri.edu account with a non-employee for any reason. Doing so will result in the revocation of all login privileges. Non-employees may be granted login access to outreach.missouri.edu only after a request has been made and reviewed by the webmaster and system administrator. 

Content accuracy and adherence to policies always remains the responsibility of a extension professional staff member. Volunteers and contractors who work on Web pages must do so with the oversight of a professional staff member.

In accordance with the Acceptable Use Agreement, independent contractors or firms may not advertise their services or company on an extension page.

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		Kate Akers  akersk@missouri.edu Last revised: 12/12/06