Introduction

Which websites need to comply with the Policy?

Which websites are exempt from the Policy?

Does the Policy apply in the same way to all websites on the UTSWeb?

Who are 'Owners of Information', and what are their responsibilities?

Who are 'Authorising Officers', and what are their responsibilities?

Do students need to seek approval to publish on the UTSWeb?

Who has authority to approve amendments to information on the UTSWeb?

In what ways do UTS websites need to comply with legal requirements and with UTS Rules, Policies and Directives?

Can advertising and sponsorship be included on the UTSWeb?

What happens if a website or webpage on the UTSWeb does not comply with the Policy?

In the event of a breach of the Policy, who has authority to remove information from the UTSWeb?

Introduction

The following frequently asked questions address key points of the Publishing on the UTSWeb Policy that are relevant to academics and students who store and publish their websites or webpages on the UTSWeb. These FAQs must be read in conjunction with the Policy and the UTS Web Standards.

Which websites need to comply with the Policy?

The Publishing on the UTSWeb Policy applies to all information published, hosted or stored on the UTSWeb, including all websites that contain the domain name uts.edu.au or other names as registered by UTS from time to time.

Which websites are exempt from the Policy?

Only websites housed within the UTSWeb are covered by this Policy. External websites that are cited (linked) within information published on the UTSWeb are excluded from the Policy.

Does the Policy apply in the same way to all websites on the UTSWeb?

No. In acknowledgement of the need for academic freedom of expression, information on the UTSWeb has been classified into a category system, enabling a clear distinction to be made between the different types of information published on the UTSWeb. There are six categories of information and the conditions for publication vary for the different categories (see Section 5.1 of the Policy for these conditions).

The six categories of information are as follows.

Category 1 – core UTS information

'Core UTS information' refers to the official authoritative source of UTS information. Examples of Category 1 information include:

• UTS Act
• UTS By-law
• Rules
• Policies and Directives
• information regarding legislative compliance such as copyright, FOI and privacy
• information published by UTS Council and its committees
• UTS course information.

See the Category 1 – Core UTS Information Web Standard for more information.

Category 2 – UTS business information

'UTS business information' refers to all information relating to the official business of UTS. Examples include information regarding the official business of:

• the UTS Executive
• divisions
• units
• faculties
• institutes
• centres

as well as conference, seminar and forum webpages directly associated with the official business of UTS.

Category 3 – UTS teaching and research information

'UTS teaching and research information' refers to all materials that have been recorded on the UTS Digital Resource Register, which UTS staff are authorised to use for teaching purposes. Examples include:

• eReadings
• online lecture notes
• subject material within UTSOnline.

Category 4 – UTS staff and student information

'UTS staff and student information' refers to all information published on the UTSWeb by UTS staff and students that relates to their role and/or area of teaching, research or study at UTS. Examples include:

• staff research groups' webpages
• student-produced webpages related to their study or research
• staff or student online magazines related to their teaching, study or research at UTS
• conference, seminar and forum webpages hosted by UTS staff or students, related to their teaching, study or research at UTS.

Category 5 – UTS controlled entities information

'UTS controlled entities information' refers to all information associated with the official business activities of UTS controlled entities published on the UTSWeb, within websites of UTS controlled entities or within Category 2 information. Examples include:

• accessUTS
• INSEARCH.

Category 6 – other organisations associated with UTS information

'Other organisations associated with UTS information' refers to all information published by other organisations on websites or webpages that the University has agreed to host on the UTSWeb. Examples of such organisations include:

• UTS Child Care Inc
• UTS Students' Association
• UTS Union
• UTS clubs and societies such as those hosted by the UTS Union
• fIRST.

This category also includes conference, seminar and forum webpages hosted by external organisations who have received permission to publish these webpages on the UTSWeb.

Who are 'Owners of Information', and what are their responsibilities?

'Owner of Information' refers to any person who has been delegated the authority to both author and approve the content of information to be published on the UTSWeb.

Owners of Information are responsible for ensuring that:

• information conforms with relevant legislation, UTS Rules, Policies and Directives, and UTS Web Standards
• confidential material is stored in a safe location and is only made available to those people who have approval to access the material
• the accuracy and currency of the information is maintained, and
• an internal quality assurance process is implemented within their area for the review of information prior to publication.

Who are 'Authorising Officers', and what are their responsibilities?

'Authorising Officer' refers to any person who has been delegated the authority to publish information on any webpage or website housed within the UTSWeb.

The Authorising Officer for each website or webpage is responsible for ensuring that:

• information published does not duplicate information already published elsewhere on the UTSWeb
• their website conforms with relevant legislation, UTS Rules, Policies and Directives, and UTS Web Standards
• no information of an offensive or illegal nature is contained within their website or webpage
• appropriate security control mechanisms (passwords, etc.) have been put in place to manage access to confidential or restricted-access information stored on their website or webpage, and
• regular audits are conducted on the information published on their site.

Do students need to seek approval to publish on the UTSWeb?

Student publishing is coordinated through subject coordinators. Once a student has been given approval to establish or publish a webpage or website by their subject coordinator, the student is permitted to author and publish information on the UTSWeb, subject to the conditions for publication of Category 4 information and the responsibilities of Owners of Information and Authorising Officers under the Policy.

Who has authority to approve amendments to information on the UTSWeb?

The relevant Owners of Information must pre-approve all amendments to information prior to publishing changes on the UTSWeb.

Authorising officers must ensure that any changes made to information on the UTSWeb have been pre-approved by the Owner of Information.

In what ways do UTS websites need to comply with legal requirements and with UTS Rules, Policies and Directives?

All information on the UTSWeb must comply with legal requirements and with UTS Rules, Policies and Directives. Particular attention should be paid to the following.

Copyright

All categories of information must comply with the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwlth). A Copyright Web Standard is currently being developed and will be available on this website later this year.

For more information about copyright, see the Copyright at UTS website.

Privacy

Owners of Information are responsible for ensuring that the principles of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) are adhered to during the compilation of information. For information about privacy and privacy legislation, see the Privacy at UTS website. A Privacy Web Standard will be available on this website later this year.

Anti-discrimination

All information published on the UTSWeb must observe the principles of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act 1999 (NSW). An Anti-discrimination Web Standard will be available on this website later this year.

Record keeping and archiving

The UTSWeb is considered an official record of the University and as such must be treated in the same way as an official paper-based record. The Authorising Officers of Category 1, 2 or 3 UTS information are responsible for establishing an appropriate version control register to record updates to the information they publish on the UTSWeb.

Authorising Officers for Category 4, 5 and 6 information should make their own arrangements for record keeping and archiving the information they publish on the UTSWeb.

A Record Keeping and Archiving Web Standard will become available in the future. Though intended for Categories 1, 2 and 3, it is envisaged that this Web Standard will contain useful advice regarding methods of record keeping and archiving information published on the UTSweb.

Accessibility

All websites created on the UTSWeb must be designed and structured in accordance with web content accessibility guidelines specified by IML. The web content accessibility guidelines will be developed into a web standard later this year.

Disclaimers

The Owners of Information for all categories of information must ensure that an appropriate disclaimer statement is included as a link in the footer of all webpages. See the Disclaimer Web Standard for more information.

Can advertising and sponsorship be included on the UTSWeb?

The UTSWeb must not include any external organisations advertising material unless the material is clearly related to the core business activities of the University. Special approval must be sought from the Marketing and Communication Unit before any paid or unpaid advertising or sponsorship from an external organisation may be published on the UTSWeb.

UTS sponsorship arrangements cannot be made without the involvement of the Sponsorship Manager in the Marketing and Communication Unit.

An Advertising and Sponsorship Web Standard will be available on ths website later this year.

What happens if a website or webpage on the UTSWeb does not comply with the Policy?

The Registrar has overall accountability for ensuring that all information published on the UTSWeb is in compliance with legal requirements, and therefore is responsible for enforcing the Publishing on the UTSWeb Policy and for taking corrective action to rectify any breaches. The Registrar must also report any illegal activities to the appropriate authorities.

Reporting breaches

Any member of the UTS community may report a breach of the Policy. All suspected breaches of the Policy should, in the first instance, be reported to the UTSWeb Standards Coordinator. Suspected breaches of a serious nature should be reported directly to the Registrar. All reports received will be treated with appropriate concern for the law and privacy.

Penalties for breaches

Penalties for breaches of the Policy will be administered in accordance with UTS Rules that relate to staff and student misconduct (see Rules of the University), and with any codes of conduct issued from time to time. Staff and students should be aware that they might also be subject to criminal or civil proceedings for the publication of material considered illegal or offensive.

In the event of a breach of the Policy, who has authority to remove information from the UTSWeb?

The Registrar has authority to issue instructions for the removal of any illegal or non-compliant information published on the UTSWeb.

UTS reserves the absolute right to remove any information published on the UTSWeb. If the University considers information on the UTSWeb to be offensive, illegal, outdated or in contravention of any UTS policy or legislative obligation, the information will be removed.