9.3 Timetable and ProcedureΒΆ

R5 of the COUNTER Code of Practice, published in July 2017, will become the only valid version of the Code of Practice from 1 January 2019.

Applications for COUNTER-compliant status

  • A register of content providers and their platforms for which COUNTER-compliant usage reports are available is maintained by COUNTER and posted on the COUNTER website - https://www.projectcounter.org/about/register/

  • Content providers may apply to the Project Director (compliance@counterusage.org) for their products to be included on the register. Content providers will have to provide proof of initial compliance by including the results of COUNTER Report Validation Tool tests showing compliance for each of its reports, including testing both the upload of the tabular reports and SUSHI harvesting of the same report. Upon receipt of the application and proof of compliance, content providers MUST allow at least one of the COUNTER library test sites to evaluate their usage reports.

  • When the usage reports are deemed to comply with the COUNTER Code of Practice, the content provider will be asked to sign a Declaration of COUNTER Compliance (Appendix C), after which the content provider and its platforms will be added to the register.

  • Within six months a report from an independent auditor confirming that the usage reports and data are indeed COUNTER-compliant will be required. See Appendix E for a description of the auditing program.

  • The signed declarations MUST be sent to the COUNTER office (compliance@counterusage.org) as email attachments.