Privacy Policy

The Science Website is maintained by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005.

AAAS is committed to protecting the privacy of our users. We strive to provide a safe, secure user experience. This Privacy Statement sets forth the online data collection and usage policies and practices that apply to the Science family of websites (also referred to as "Science Online" or the "Science websites"), currently including Science (online version), Science Classic, Science Express, ScienceNOW, SAGE KE, Science Signaling, Science Translational Medicine, and Science Careers. It also includes the order forms and member services accessible from those websites. Your data will be stored and processed in whole or in part in the United States. If you access the Science Website outside the United States, your usage of that site constitutes consent to the transfer of your data out of your country and to the United States.

The Science Website contains links to other websites over which we have no control. We are not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of other websites to which you choose to link from the Science Website.

Policy Details
Information We Collect
Use of Information
Opt-in and Opt-out Choices
Disclosure of Information to Others
Resumes
Additional Terms and Rules for Social Networking
Use of Cookies
Use of Web Beacons
Updating Your Information
Security
Children
Acceptance of These Terms
Changes to Privacy Statement
Contact Information

INFORMATION WE COLLECT

When you visit the Science Website there are two types of information you might provide to us: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose and website use information collected by us as you interact with our website.

In some areas of the Science Website, we request or may request that you provide personal information, including your name, address, e-mail address, telephone number, credit card number, contact information, billing information, and any other information from which your identity is discernible. In other areas, we collect or may collect demographic information such as your age, career focus and discipline, preferences, gender, educational degrees, ethnic background, interests, and household income range. Sometimes we collect or may collect a combination of the two types of information. Examples of areas on the Science Website where we collect or may collect personal or combined personal and demographic data are pages where you can sign up to use a service, post a resume, enter a contest, or purchase a product.

We also gather or may gather certain information about your use of our site, such as what areas you visit and what services you access. Moreover, there is information about your computer hardware and software that we collect or may collect. This information can include, without limitation, your IP address, browser type, domain names, access times, and referring website addresses.

Please remember that if you post any of your personal information in public and/or Social Network areas of the Science Website, such as in online forums or chat rooms, such information may be displayed to other users of these services and may be collected and used by others over whom we have no control. We are not responsible for the use made by third parties of information you post or otherwise make available in public areas of the Science Website. We retain indefinitely all the information we gather about you in an effort to make your repeat use of our website more efficient, practical, and relevant.

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USE OF INFORMATION

The information collected may be used by AAAS for the purpose of operating and improving the Science Website, fostering a positive user experience, and delivering the products and services that we offer. We may also use the information we gather to inform you of other products or services available from the Science Website or to contact you about your opinion of current products and services or potential new products and services that may be offered.

We may use your contact information in order to send you e-mail, postal mail, or other communications regarding updates at the Science Website, such as Job Alerts, newsletters, new opportunities, and additional listings which may be of interest to you. We may also use it to send you information about third-party products and services that match your interests and preferences, if you opt in for this communication. We do not release any of your contact information to third parties unless we have your permission. The nature and frequency of these messages will vary depending upon the information we have about you. In addition, at the time of registration for certain services, such as Science Careers Job Alerts, or free partial access to any of the Science websites, you have the option to elect to receive additional communications, information, newsletters, and promotions relating to topics that may be of special interest to you.

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OPT-IN AND OPT-OUT CHOICES

The registration forms and other sections of the Science Website where we collect your information provide you with relevant opt-in and opt-out choices regarding promotional activity and other communications with you.

E-mail

AAAS members may opt in for third-party informational e-mails or opt out of all e-mail communication, with the exception of subscription renewal and association election information. Members can provide data privacy instructions at the members-only Website, http://aaasmember.org/. Select Member Services/Data Privacy. Or contact AAAS Member Services.

Paid subscribers to AAAS publications including Science, ScienceNOW, Science Signaling, and Science Translational Medicine may also opt in for third-party informational e-mails or opt out of all e-mail communication (with the exception of subscription renewal information) by contacting AAAS Member Services.

Users of free online services provided by AAAS±such as free partial access to Science, Science Signaling, or Science Translational Medicine, access to ScienceNOW or SAGE KE, e-mail alerting services or Science Careers services±are agreeing that AAAS may contact them by e-mail in exchange for these free services. Users can also opt in for third-party informational e-mails. Users who do not wish to receive e-mail may cancel their online services by following the unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of any e-mail message from AAAS.

Users who download a free sample issue of Science Digital are agreeing that they may receive occasional e-mail messages from AAAS in exchange for this free content. Users who do not wish to receive e-mail may follow the unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of any e-mail message from AAAS.

Science Careers registrants can change their communication options by clicking on My Science Careers/My Account.

The above are examples of opt-in/opt-out options and are not intended to describe every option on the site.

Feedback

We have, or may have, an area where you can submit feedback. Any feedback you submit in this area becomes our property, and we may contact you for further information.

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DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION TO OTHERS

We do not disclose to third parties your personal information, combined personal and demographic information, or information about your use of the Science Websites (such as the areas you visit or the services you access), except as set forth in the following four subparagraphs.

1. We may disclose such information to third parties if you consent to such disclosure. For example we may use data we have about you (such as the interests and preferences you have expressed) to determine whether you might be interested in the products or services of a particular third party.

2. We may disclose such information to companies and individuals we employ to perform functions on our behalf. Examples may include hosting our web servers, analyzing data, providing marketing assistance, processing credit card payments, and providing customer service. These companies and individuals will have access to your personal information as necessary to perform their functions, but they may not share that information with any other third party.

3. We may disclose such information if legally required to do so, if requested to do so by a governmental entity, or if we believe in good faith that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to legal requirements or comply with legal process; (b) protect the rights or property of AAAS; (c) prevent a crime or protect national security; or (d) protect the personal safety of users or the public.

4. We may disclose and transfer such information to a third party who acquires all or a substantial portion of the Science business, whether such acquisition is by way of merger, consolidation, or purchase of all or a substantial portion of our assets. In addition, in the event any one or all of the Science websites become the subject of a bankruptcy proceeding, whether voluntary or involuntary, the AAAS or its trustee in bankruptcy may sell, license, or otherwise dispose of such information in a transaction approved by the bankruptcy court. The AAAS may also share aggregated anonymous information about visitors to Science websites with its clients, partners, and other third parties so that they may understand the kinds of visitors to the Science websites and how those visitors use the site.

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RESUMES

On Science Careers, we give you the option of putting your resume or CV (collectively referred to as "resume") in our database. There are two ways of doing this:

You can post your resume in our database on a confidential basis and choose who sees the resume. You will be notified via e-mail and asked if you want to release your resume to a specified organization. However, even if a resume is confidential, some elements of it may be viewed.

If you allow your resume to be searchable, then all parties with access to our searchable resume database (or copies thereof) will have access to your resume. We attempt to limit access to our searchable resume database (or copies thereof) only to paying employers, recruiters, hiring managers, headhunters, and human resource professionals as well as law enforcement and national security agencies, but cannot guarantee that other parties will not gain access to this database. We are not responsible for the use made of resumes by third parties who access such resumes while they are in our searchable database. You may remove your resume from our searchable database at any time. However, employers, recruiters, and others who have paid for access to that database or to obtain a copy of that database as well as parties who have otherwise gained access to the database may have retained a copy of your resume in their own files or databases. We are not responsible for the retention, use, or privacy of resumes in these instances.

Please Note: It is not our practice to restrict access to our resume database to any particular customer(s). Please be advised that your current employer or an entity affiliated with your current employer might be a customer of the ScienceCareers.org sites. We are not responsible for any actions or results that may occur as a result of any customer's access to and/or use of your resume.

We reserve the right to remove from our database any resumes we consider to be illegal or offensive.

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ADDITIONAL TERMS AND RULES FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING

Social networking services provided on the Science Website (e.g. the Science Careers Community pages) may have additional terms of conduct, privacy policies, and privacy settings that you will be required to agree to and set when you register for such services.

USE OF COOKIES

We use "cookies" to help personalize and maximize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard drive by a web page server. Cookies are not used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to your computer, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the web server that you have returned to a specific page. For example, if you personalize pages or register for services on any of the Science websites, a cookie helps us to recall your specific information (such as user name, password, and preferences). Because of our use of cookies, we can deliver faster and more accurate results and a more personalized site experience. When you return to the Science Website, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the features that you customized. We also use cookies to track click streams and for load balancing.

You may have the ability to accept or decline all cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline all cookies if you prefer. Alternatively, you may be able to modify your browser setting to notify you each time a cookie is tendered and permit you to accept or decline cookies on an individual basis. It is possible to sign in to any of the Science websites without accepting cookies. If you choose to decline cookies, however, that may hinder performance and negatively impact your experience at the Science Website.

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USE OF WEB BEACONS

Our web pages may contain electronic images known as web beacons (sometimes called single-pixel GIFs) that allow us to count users who have visited those pages and to deliver co-branded services. Web beacons are not used to access your personally identifiable information on the Science Website; they are a technique we use to compile aggregated statistics about our Website usage. Web beacons collect only a limited set of information including a cookie number, time and date of a page view, and a description of the page on which the web beacon resides.

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UPDATING YOUR INFORMATION

It is important to us that we have your correct contact information so that you don't miss out on further correspondence or experience problems with the delivery of publications and products.

Members can change their personal information or update their account information at any time by linking to http://aaasmember.org and selecting Member Services. Other registrants or users may also update their personal information at any time by sending e-mail to membership@aaas.org.

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SECURITY

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure. In addition, all credit transactions occur in a secure area of our site, to protect you from any loss, misuse, or alteration of information collected. However, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized third parties will never be able to defeat those measures or use your personal information for improper purposes. When you place an order online at any of the Science websites, your credit card information is protected through the use of encryption utilizing Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol, the industry standard in transferring information to process your orders.

The SSL encrypts, or translates, your order information into a highly indecipherable code, which is processed immediately. When you've finished your transactions and begin the checkout process, you will move into the secure area of our site. A warning window may pop up to notify you that you are entering this "safe" area. Once you've entered, the page address (URL) will change from http to https, to let you know you are in a secure area. Also, a key or closed lock will appear in the lower left-hand corner of your screen to notify you of this change. You will remain in this secure zone for the entire checkout process. In addition, only the last four digits of your credit card number will be revealed on the screen when confirming an order. Of course, we securely transmit the entire credit card number to the appropriate credit card service company during order processing.

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CHILDREN

The Science websites are not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

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ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS

Your use of the Science Website shall indicate your understanding and acceptance of the terms of this Privacy Statement. If you do not agree with all of the terms herein, you should not use the Science Website or services.

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CHANGES TO PRIVACY STATEMENT

If we decide to change our Privacy Statement for the Science websites, we will post those changes here so that you will always know what information we gather, how we might use that information, and to whom we will disclose it. If at any time, you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Statement, please feel free to e-mail us at membership@aaas.org or call us at +1 202-326-6417 and speak to one of our representatives.

We welcome your comments concerning this Privacy Statement. If you believe that we have not adhered to this statement, please contact us by e-mailing us at membership@aaas.org. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly determine and remedy the problem. Thank you for using the Science Website.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

American Association for the Advancement of Science
1200 New York Ave NW
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: 202-326-6417
E-mail: membership@aaas.org