World Wide Web Policy
Approved March 14, 2000
Role of the World Wide Web
World Wide Web services at the University of North Texas Health Science
Center provide information to and enable the exchange of data with members
of the Health Science Center community, prospective students, and the general
public. As such, the services represent the Health Science Center.
Individuals, corporations, and government agencies can benefit by accessing
information resources provided by the University of North Texas Health Science
Center via the Web. It is of paramount importance to the Health Science
Center community that information be organized and presented in a user-friendly
manner on Health Science Center websites because the Web plays a vital role
in helping the Health Science Center fulfill its mission.
Types of Information
Each constituency within the Health Science Center -- faculty, students, staff, and administrators -- creates and utilizes information of various types. For example, official information refers to the governing or authoritative documents of the Health Science Center. On the other hand, scholarly information, which is produced by our faculty and other experts, is related to the mission of UNTHSC, but does not necessarily impact the governance of the Health Science Center. Generally, types of information include but are not limited to:
Official Information
| Academic Calendar | Financial Aid and Scholarships |
| Academic Degrees | Recruitment Materials |
| Admissions | Schedule of Classes |
| Catalogs | University Events |
| Course materials | University Policies, Procedures, and Practices |
| Demographics | University Structure |
General Information
| Advancement and Alumni | Scholarly Information (e.g. faculty publications, bibliographies, databases of research results) |
| Community Information | Sponsored Projects |
| Personal Information | Health Science Center Organizations |
Structure of the Health Science Center Web
The UNTHSC Information Resources Council (IRC) will establish standards for the structure and operation of UNTHSC's Web services as well as develop policies and procedures needed to maintain Web sites that serve the mission of the University in an effective manner.
Responsibility for Official Information
Because official information represents the Health Science Center to a worldwide community, it must be timely and accurate. Furthermore, the presentation of official UNTHSC information via the Web must adhere as closely as possible to UNTHSC's editorial and graphic standards, just as printed publications are subject to these same standards. In addition, all Health Science Center websites must adhere to state and federal regulations that assure accessibility of Health Science Center information to handicapped individuals. Web Publishing Guidelines, approved by the IRC, assist Web authors in preparing materials that meet those standards.
Each Vice President, or the President in the case of those areas that do not report to a Vice President, is the "owner" of the official information that is created or maintained by his/her area of responsibility. An owner is defined as "the manager or agent responsible for the function which is supported by the resource." Texas Department of Information Resources. Information Resources Security and Risk Management Policy, Standards, and Guidelines. Austin, Texas: March 1993, p. 94. The owner of an official Web document is the person responsible for overseeing the management of that official information. Each Vice President may delegate the management of this official information to department heads, deans, or directors, as appropriate. Only the owners of information, or their designated information managers, may change the content of the information that they manage. Owners must routinely review the official information placed on the Web by their staff to ensure its timeliness and accuracy. In addition, Web-based programs involving financial transactions and records covered under the Family Educational Right to Privacy Act must be approved by the Health Science Center's internal auditors prior to being released to the public.
Any UNTHSC Web document may provide access to any official UNTHSC information that is on the Web, but this should be accomplished by a link to the information, rather than a duplicate copy of that information. In other words, managers of Web documents should not duplicate information that they do not manage, but instead should refer the reader to the original copy.
Maintenance of Official Information
Owners of official information will identify the information managers who will implement information services within the UNTHSC Web services, determining how their information maintenance needs can best be met within existing resources. These individuals must follow the standards and procedures developed by the IRC for the Health Science Center's Web implementation. They will be assisted in this effort by the University's Team Web, who will develop the necessary models, operational guidelines, and procedures for creating and maintaining effective Web sites.
General Information
Whoever creates information other than official UNTHSC information is the owner of that information and is solely responsible for its content. A Web document, such as a 'personal home page,' which is made available from any UNTHSC computer system, may provide any unofficial information relating to the mission and goals of the University, as long as it complies with UNTHSC policies, as well as federal and state laws. UNTHSC can accept no responsibility for the content of these documents; in fact, UNTHSC will not undertake to edit or pre-approve these documents. However, any of these documents discovered that are in violation of these policies and laws shall be subject to immediate removal from UNTHSC computer systems.
Persons responsible for Web development are expected to adhere to all applicable state and federal regulations and internal policies and guidelines associated with security, risk measures, and copyright compliance. Permission must be obtained in advance before publishing copyrighted material (text, graphics, etc.) on UNTHSC Web sites and notification of copyright should be shown on pages containing those materials.
