Transfer
The Transfer Code of Practice responds to the expressed needs of the scholarly journal community for consistent guidelines to help publishers ensure that journal content remains easily accessible by librarians and readers when there is a transfer between parties, and to ensure that the transfer process occurs with minimum disruption. The Code contains best practice guidelines for both the Transferring Publisher and the Receiving Publisher. Publishers are asked to endorse the Code, and to abide by its principles wherever it is commercially reasonable to do so.
Transfer originated with the United Kingdom Serials Group (UKSG) and moved to the auspices of NISO in 2014.
The Code is governed by a group of librarians, publishers and other experts (the Transfer Standing Committee), and its main activities fall into three areas:
1. The Transfer Code of Practice. The current version is the Transfer Code of Practice, Version 4.0.
A list of the publishers that currently endorse the Code can be found on the Publisher Endorsement page.
2. The Transfer Alerting Service. This service has been designed to facilitate communication of journal transfers. Read more about it.
3. Transfer’s educational and support activities. The Transfer Standing Committee aims to provide practical support to publishers, librarians and other stakeholders in the publishing process.
- Journal transfer problems: The Transfer Standing Committee provides informal advice to publishers and librarians who are encountering problems with the journal transfer process. To discuss or report any instances of non-compliance with the Transfer Code, please e-mail one of the co-Chairs of the Transfer Standing Committee.*
- Papers and Presentations: Links to presentations about the Code and the activities of the Standing Committee, as well as other useful sources of information about the journal transfer process.
*If you have any questions please email the co-Chairs of the Standing Committee, Linda Wobbe (linda@scelc.org) and Sophia Anderton (sophia.anderton@bjui.info).