All new COUNTER listserv

You asked, we delivered!

One of the questions in the 2025 community satisfaction survey was whether you wanted a COUNTER listserv. More than 60% of respondents said Yes, so we’ve been working to set one up.

The new listserv is designed to allow the whole community – members and non-members alike – to discuss issues related to COUNTER. This includes the Code of Practice, publisher implementations of the Code and and the reports they deliver, library uses for COUNTER metrics, supportive technologies, and opportunities to learn about COUNTER.

The list’s code of conduct

The COUNTER listserv draws on our existing Code of conduct, with some extensions. Our goal is to stimulate productive, polite and useful conversations, not arguments. Please allow your colleagues to have their say, just as you may have yours.

All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials are strictly prohibited and will be removed.

Core principles

• Be respectful: Dispute facts and errors, not individuals. Ask for clarification before assuming ignorance, error or fault. Treat others with dignity.
• Be helpful: If someone asks for help it is because they need it. Please answer the question or link to relevant documentation. If the question is off-topic, please point them to more appropriate venues.
• Be informative: Please try to avoid sharing misinformation. Do basic fact checks and remember that AI summaries may not always be accurate.
• Keep it simple: Technical questions and answers should be explained in plain language wherever possible. COUNTER may move discussions which require deep technical knowledge to a separate location. 
• Stay on topic: Keep discussions relevant to the list’s purpose. Use clear, descriptive subject lines. If you need to change the topic, please start a new email string.
• Event announcements: organisers may circulate one call for speakers and one registration announcement per event, where the event is of direct relevance to the COUNTER community. COUNTER reserves the right to share news about its own activities through the list.
• No adverts: This list is not a forum for advertisements. This means no job listings, no commercial offers, and no promotions.
• Disclose conflicts of interest: Be transparent about potential biases and conflicts of interest. 

Confidentiality and privacy

This list is covered by COUNTER’s privacy and data protection policy, as described on our website at https://www.countermetrics.org/privacy-data-protection/.

Other than your name, please do not include in postings any personally identifiable information or any information that you do not wish to make public.

Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should not be included in your postings. After the list moderator has reviewed your contribution, it may be posted to the listserv without redaction.

Moderation

The list is moderated by the COUNTER team. Messages sent to the list are held for moderator approval before distribution. We will always reject messages that are defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, illegal, excessively promotional, or contain personal/confidential info.

We reserve the right to unsubscribe individuals who repeatedly breach our Code of Conduct, or who attempt to circulate spam or non-permitted messages through the list. Examples of non-permitted messages include: 

• Personal information
• Defamatory or abusive materials
• Hate speech
• Advertising
• Bullying and offensive behavior
• Illegal content