STANDARD OF DIFFUSION

The principle being that documents sent to the Documentation Network will be transmitted to those who wish to receive them, various attempts at manipulation could happen. To avoid this risk, the scientific committee has adopted the principle of non-immediate distribution of documents, and will also classify documents received in two categories :

- Official documents from international and national organisations (ministries, national parliaments, etc.). Distribution of these documents will be delayed for three months, unless these institutions indicate precisely that they wish to have a particular document distributed as quickly as possible.

Some confidential documents from public or private institutions, could reach the Documentation Network by irregular means (without transmission slip). In this case, these institutions will be asked whether they are in agreement for such documents to be distributed immediately or at a later stage, at their convenience. If permission is not obtained, such documents will be destroyed.

- Documents from NGOs, various associations and collectives, political parties, and individuals. Such documents will be subject, without exception, to the rule of delayed distribution after a period of three months. Such documents may be sub-classified by their origin and content. If their authenticity cannot be verified, they will be distributed on a hatched background and marked authenticity of document not verified. In such cases where documents contain implicite or other indications which could harm the personal security of individuals, the executive bureau will decide on their destruction or delayed distribution. Such documents will be kept for a maximum of two years. Beyond this period, documents will be destroyed if the committee still considers them as not transmittable. The executive bureau commits itself to ensuring that documents not distributed under the rules hereabove are destroyed: no storage of archives will be made in any circumstance.

Moreover,documents whose distribution has been delayed will be stored in a separate place from the Network office and any distribution of such documents by persons working for the Network will be considered as serious professional malpractice resulting in dismissal or exclusion. Finally, during the period for which distribution of documents is delayed, whatever the nature of these documents, absolutely no distribution will be made to any persons.

Publishing procedures

Documents are published as received ; they are published under the sole responsibility of their authors (individuals or organizations); their contents do not represent any position of the Documentation Network.

The Network is not responsible for typographics, grammatical or other errors in the texts, which are published according to the original document.

Missing or non readable parts are mentioned at publishing. Sending a document to the Network will not automaticallyresult in its publication ; Texts received are considered to be public documents ; according to this point, no rights or fees will be paid to the authors when published.

Reproduction

The reproduction (by any means) of texts included in the CD-ROM is authorized, provided they are not modified or altered, and that the source is mentioned (example : International Documentation Network on the Great African Lakes Region, CD n.7, June 1999).