Mandate

The IPA Website is expected in due course to become the prime vehicle for the IPA to interact with its members. The Constitution and Byelaws (Article 12, Section C) requires the IPA to 'ensure that Members are duly informed of important IPA developments and business by periodic publications'. 'Publications' in this context is taken to include the website, which is now amongst the best ways of keeping members informed of IPA news.

The Website will provide sections in the four official languages of the IPA. The annual budget allotted to the Website shall be decided by the Board on advice from the Executive Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee.

The responsibility for the contents of the Website shall lie with the Editor and the Regional Editors, who shall be appointed by the President in consultation with the Board. The Editor may propose names for the Regional Editors to assist the Editor in this work.

Whilst enjoying editorial freedom, the Editor shall ensure that the Website meets the following objectives:

• to provide information on IPA events, activities, services and issues (including information on and from Constituent Organisations), both to members and the general public, so as to enhance the reputation of the IPA both to the membership and the general public.
• to provide members with a password-protected area within the site, reserved to members only, which shall: provide them with access to their records held by the IPA, so they may check their accuracy or change this information; where members have agreed, provide other members with access to their contact details for information purposes; provide them with information suitable for members only; provide them with discussion forums for debate and exchange on scientific matters suitable for members only.
• to provide forums for debate on current global or regional scientific and professional issues, challenges and insights in psychoanalysis of a non-confidential nature, to enable other users to keep abreast of psychoanalytic developments.
• to enable members and other users to register and pay for Congresses and other IPA events, and to receive (and where appropriate pay for) goods and services from the IPA.
• to provide reciprocal hyperlinks to other appropriate sites, particularly those of Constituent Organisations and appropriate allied bodies.

In choosing between material to be kept within or outside the password-protected area, the default position shall be that all material is outside it, unless the material is judged by the Editorial Team to be suitable only for members. Confidentially of clinical material will be of paramount concern.

The Editor will ensure that the Website is developed and managed as efficiently as possible, commensurate with the quality required, and as the technology develops, employs such developments in the best interest of IPA Members and other site users.

The Editor will conduct surveys of users of the site not less than once every three years to ascertain responses to it, and publish and respond to the results of these surveys. The Editor will establish the means of recording visits to the site and report on such hit rates annually.

The Editor will provide reports to the Board not less than once every year, containing information on the editorial and publishing experiences since the previous report, and information regarding plans for development of the site.

The News Magazine Editor and the Website Editor will keep in close contact on issues common to both publications.

The Website will follow the IPA's corporate design style.

The Board and Executive Committee reserve the right to withhold any article or information that they consider unsuitable for publication on the website.

The Editor and Regional Editors will be assumed to have submitted their resignations on the change of IPA administration in accordance with the Committees section within the IPA's Procedural Code.

Approved by Executive Council January 2003

Right to withhold information added July 2007