Comments & Privacy

Comment Policy

The National Library of Medicine reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

Circulating Now is a moderated blog, and all comments will be reviewed before they are posted to ensure compliance with our comment policy. Therefore, comments may not show up immediately. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, i.e., your tax dollars, moderating and posting comments should only be expected to occur during regular business hours. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

Our comment policy is designed to encourage respectful, constructive dialogue.

• Stay focused. All viewpoints are welcome, but comments should remain relevant to Circulating Now and the topic being discussed. Only comments that relate to the topic being discussed will be posted.
• Be respectful. Comments will not be posted if they contain personal attacks, which include discriminatory, racist, offensive, obscene, inflammatory, unlawful or otherwise objectionable statements, language or content. Comments that contain partisan political views will not be posted.
• Tell the truth. Comments that contain or spread misleading or false information will not be posted. Here and in other areas of public discussion, make sure that what you are saying is factually correct.
• Be careful about including links and personal information. Since all posts and comments are visible to anyone that stumbles upon this blog, please don’t include or link to any information that would cause security problems or breach confidentiality agreements.
• Refrain from seeking medical advice. Comments that seek a specific diagnosis or request medical advice will not be posted. Please visit NLM’s MedlinePlus at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ for information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues. MedlinePlus is not intended to provide medical advice. MedlinePlus provides you with access to selected information to better understand your health, disease, or medical condition. Always consult with your health care provider.
• Refrain from commercial activity. Comments or links that promote a particular service or product, and solicitation of any proposal or business will not be posted.

We reserve the right to determine which comments violate our comment policy and to remove and/or not post comments at our discretion.

Reporters are asked to send questions to the NLM Office of Communications & Public Liaison through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted or answered.

Thank you for taking the time to review our comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to hearing from you.

Your Privacy

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) uses the WordPress blog platform to support Circulating Now. This platform enables visitors to respond to information posted by NLM by posting comments. Visitors who post comments do not need to register, provide their real names or supply any other personal information. An email address is required but not made public and will not be used for any purpose other than communication directly related to the comment. When visitors do provide their names or other identifying information, that information will appear along with their comments.

Although WordPress offers some analytics and usage data to NIH, these reports do not include any personally identifiable information. The reports are password protected and only available to NLM managers, members of the Circulating Now Editorial Board and other designated staff requiring this information to perform their duties.

The WordPress privacy policy is available at:
http://wordpress.org/about/privacy/

Find the NLM privacy policy here:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/privacy.html

Linking Policy and Disclaimer of Endorsement

Posts or pages on Circulating Now may include useful hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations and persons. We provide these links and pointers solely for our users’ information and convenience. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Government, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying NLM endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

As a Division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we adhere to the HHS Disclaimer Policy. In short:

• When you select a link to an outside website, you are leaving the NLM domain and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the outside website.
• NLM does not control nor guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information contained on an externally linked website.
• NLM and this blog do not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites, and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.
• NLM cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked websites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked website. Those who provide comments are responsible for the copyright of the text they provide.
• NLM is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites.
• NLM does not guarantee that outside websites comply with Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.

For more information on HHS disclaimers, visit the HHS Website Disclaimers page.

Content

The views expressed within posted comments do not necessarily reflect those of the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the United States Government.

If you are an owner of content that has been published on Circulating Now or you have concerns about privacy, fair use, or copyright you are encouraged to contact the managing editor by e-mail at hmdweb@nlm.nih.gov with questions, comments, or requests.