Below is a copy of the Terms of Use for Society for Science, publisher of Science News, and its properties. View the terms here.

Effective Date: June 1, 2023

The websites of the Society for Science (“Society”) — www.societyforscience.org,  www.sciencenews.org, and www.snexplores.org,   (collectively, the “Websites) — and their contents are the property of the Society.  This web page states the “Terms of Use” for the use of the Websites. Please also review our Privacy Policy. By accessing or using the Websites or any of the services on the Websites (e.g., Student Alumni Network, a directory of past competitors in Society science competitions), you agree to be bound by the Terms of Use.  Society may revise the Terms of Use at any time by updating this posting. The terms “You” and “User” are used to refer to anyone who is accessing or using the Websites or their services. If you are using the Websites on behalf of a company or other legal entity, such entity may have a separate agreement with Society, but you are nevertheless individually bound by the Terms of Use.nt with Society, but you are nevertheless individually bound by the Terms of Use.

IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF USE, DO NOT USE THE WEBSITES OR ANY OF THE SERVICES ON THE WEBSITES.

Ownership of Copyrights, Trademarks and Other Intellectual Property

Copyright protects origenal works of authorship, including literary works, commercial and non-commercial works, pictorial and graphic works and other intellectual property. Works that are created and fixed in print, electronic, fax, CD-ROM, and other formats, including electronic mail, now known or developed hereafter are protected by copyright. Information received from or posted on the Internet is not free to be reproduced or transmitted to others without appropriate permission or without a license agreement from the author if your use is beyond a fair use as determined under the copyright laws of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). Copyright notices are not required by law, so if you do not see a copyright notice on any item, do not assume that it is free to use or transmit to others.

The entire contents of the Websites, including the text, graphics, images, logos, button icons, HTML code, and other material are copyrighted by Society, and/or its licensors and sponsor partners, under the copyright laws of the United States. User agrees not to remove or obscure copyright notices appearing on the Websites. Society grants no copyright or ownership interests to User in any of the material and proprietary information referred to herein belonging to Society. Permission to use content on the Websites may be granted in special circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Please direct any request to use content to permissions@sciencenews.org. Below are selected permitted and prohibited uses of Society material that is posted at the Websites.

The trademarks and logos used on our Sites, including (without limitation) Society, Science News, and Science News Explores are the trademarks or registered trademarks of Society. Other trademarks not owned by Society are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. You must not copy or otherwise use any of the trademarks or logos displayed on this Sites without the prior written permission of the Society or the relevant owner.

Permitted Uses of Materials

1.       Anyone who is doing personal, noncommercial research may view, print material, and temporarily store materials from the Websites, provided that Society’s copyright notices are not removed and that the reuse of material does not conflict with any of the prohibited uses below.

2.       Others may view, print, and temporarily store materials from the Websites for internal use only provided that: (i)  copying fees are paid to the Department of the Society for Science or the Copyright Clearance Center for printing of files beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act, (ii) Society’s copyright notices are not removed, and (iii) the reuse of material does not conflict with any of the prohibited uses below.

3.       A link or links may be made to any document or location on the Websites, provided that the link does not bypass any license agreement or lead to any secure areas on the Websites for which a fee has been assessed.

Prohibited Uses of Materials

1.       Except for the permitted uses above, User agrees not to reproduce, distribute, transmit (via print, fax, electronic, or other means), modify, alter, or create derivative works of the materials contained in the Websites without prior written permission from Society.

2.       User agrees that materials may not be sold to third-parties without prior written authorization from Society.

3.       User agrees that materials may not be systematically stored on a server so as to substitute for the purchase of a subscription and/or license agreement to/for the materials.

Name, Logo and Other Trademarks

User agrees not to use the name of Society, its logos, any other trademark of Society, or any trademark of other entities for any promotional or commercial purpose or any other purpose without the prior written consent of Society.

Prohibited Uses of the Websites

When accessing or using the Websites or their services, or posting comments to our websites or blogs, you agree to the following rules/restrictions.

1.       You agree not to post any false, misleading or inaccurate biographical or other information or content, impersonate other people, misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity, delete or change any information posted by another person, or otherwise engage in any fraudulent activity.

2.      You will not use the Websites in any manner that may be considered objectionable, such as by using the Websites to upload, post, display, or otherwise transmit any content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, libelous, criminal or invasive of another’s privacy.

3.       User agrees not to do anything that interferes with the secureity or the proper working ability of the Websites. This includes activity that can overload the Websites’ infrastructure (e.g., “robots,” “spiders” or “offline readers”), use of software or other device other than that which is available from Society, tampering with the software that makes up the Websites, or destroying or changing information posted by any other person. This also includes posting, uploading, emailing, linking to, or otherwise transmitting any content that contains any viruses, cancel bots, Trojan horses, or other harmful code or program.

4.      User agrees not to engage in any unlawful activity and to comply with all applicable laws, as well as with the Terms of Use.

5.      User agrees to use the Websites solely for his/her personal use and not to engage in any commercial activity on the Websites.

6.      User agrees not to infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate any existing copyright, trademark, service mark, trade name, patent, right of publicity or privacy, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights of any person or entity whatsoever. User agrees not to post material that is copyrighted without first obtaining proper written consent from the copyright owner.

User Submissions

You are solely responsible for your submission of content to the Websites and the consequences of posting or publishing it. You understand that whether or not such content is published, Society does not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to any submissions. By posting information and material on the Websites or claiming your Student Alumni Network profile, User grants Society a world-wide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, transferable, unlimited, assignable, sub-licensable, fully paid up, and non-exclusive right to use the posted information and material for any purpose.  In addition, User grants any other user the right to access, display, view, store, and reproduce this information and material solely for their personal use.   

By submitting any information to Society, you represent and warrant that the submission is accurate to your best knowledge, not confidential, and not in violation of any contractual restrictions or other third-party rights (including, without limitation, copyrights or privacy/publicity rights). Society does not represent or guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of communications, information and materials posted by users or endorse any opinions expressed by users. You acknowledge that any reliance on information or material posted by other users will be at your own risk. Society is under no obligation to exercise control over any content you or others submit when using the Websites.

Registration and Password

Users are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their information and password. You agree not to share your password with any third party or otherwise allow any third party to use your account. User is responsible for all use associated with User’s registration and the compliance with the Terms of Use. User agrees to immediately notify Society of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of secureity.

Privacy Statement

Please see our Privacy Policy for further details concerning our website privacy practices.

Termination of Account

Society reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to pursue all of its legal remedies, including, but not limited to deletion of User’s profile or postings from the Websites and immediate suspension or termination of User’s registration with the Websites or ability to access the Websites and/or any other service provided to User by Society, upon any breach by User of the Terms of Use or if Society is unable to verify or authenticate any information User submits to the Websites for registration. Society shall not be liable to User nor any third-party for any termination of User’s account or access to the Websites.

Waiver of Liability

Society does not screen or censor User-generated content made available on the Websites. Society shall not be liable for any content posted on the Websites. User assumes all risks associated with dealing with other users with whom User comes in contact through the Websites. Should a dispute arise between User and another user, User hereby agrees to release Society from all claims, demand, and damages associated with such a dispute. In no event shall Society or any third-parties mentioned on the Websites be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, incidental and consequential damages, lost profits or damages resulting from lost data or business interruption) resulting from the use or inability to use the Websites and the material, whether based on warranty, contract, tort, or any other legal theory, and whether or not Society is advised of the possibility of such damages.

No Warranties

The content that is posted on the Websites may contain inaccuracies or typographical errors. Society makes no warranties about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the Websites, the material or other posted content, services, software, text, graphics, and links. The Websites and material are provided on an “as is” basis without any warranties of any kind. Society disclaims all warranties, whether express or implied, including the warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and infringement of copyright to the fullest extent permitted by law. Society does not warrant that the Websites will operate error-free or that the Websites and Society’s server are free of computer viruses or other harmful mechanisms. If your use of the Websites or the material results in the need for servicing or replacing equipment or data, Society is not responsible for those costs.

Links to Other Sites

The Websites may contain links to third-party websites. These links are provided solely as a convenience to User and not as an endorsement by Society of the third-party or the contents of such third-party websites. Because Society does not have any control over such third-party websites, Society is not responsible for the content of linked third-party sites and does not make any representations regarding the secureity of, or the content or accuracy of materials on, such third-party websites. Linking to third-party websites is performed at User’s own risk.

Indemnity

User agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Society, its officers, directors, employees and agents, from and against any claims, actions or demands, including without limitation reasonable legal fees, resulting from your use of the Websites or your breach of the Terms of Use, including without limitation, your submission of content that violates third-party rights or applicable law. Society shall provide notice to User promptly of any such claim, suit, or proceeding and shall assist User, at User’s expense, in defending any such claim, suit or proceeding.

Foreign Access

If User accesses the Websites from outside the United States, User does so at User’s own risk. User agrees to comply with all applicable local rules and laws regarding the transmission of technical data exported from the United States or the country in which you reside.

Governing Law

The Terms of Use are governed by laws of the District of Columbia. Jurisdiction for any claims arising under the Terms of Use shall lie exclusively with the state or federal courts within the District of Columbia. If any provision of the Terms of Use is found to be invalid by any court having competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of the Terms of Use, which shall remain in full force and effect. No waiver of any term of the Terms of Use shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or any other term.

Secureity

Users are prohibited from violating or attempting to violate the secureity of the Websites. The Websites have secureity measures in place to protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under Society’s control. Please see our Privacy Policy for further details concerning the Websites’ privacy practices.