Policies
Last reviewed on: July 30, 2021.
- Accessibility Policy
- Content Inventory and Posting Schedule
- Copyright and Trademark Information
- FOIA - Freedom of Information Act
- Information Quality
- Digital Strategy
- Small Business Point of Contact
- Open Government
- No FEAR Act - Notification and Federal Employee Anti-discrimination and Retaliation Act
- Privacy Policy
- Security
- Open Data
- Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
- Linking Policy
- Comments Policy
- NIA Logo Policy
Accessibility Policy
NIA is making every effort to ensure that the information available on our website is accessible to all. If you use special adaptive equipment to access the internet and encounter problems when using our site, please contact us and we will attempt to provide the information to you in a suitable format. Please be as specific as possible when describing the information you seek.
If you prefer to call, our main number is 800-222-2222 (English & Spanish).
To learn more about the regulations governing the accessibility of federal electronic information products, visit the United States Access Board or the official Section 508 page.
Notice to People with Limited English Proficiency
NIA is committed to providing meaningful access to its programs and activities for people with limited English proficiency (LEP). In accordance with Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency,” the information translated on the nia.nih.gov site is free of charge to the public.
Content Inventory and Posting Schedule
The National Institute on Aging, following the guidance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), developed this inventory of content as required by Section 207(f)(2) of the E-Government Act of 2002. For background on this requirement, go to www.archives.gov/about/laws/egov-act-section-207.html.
Categories of Information Disseminated by NIA
- Column 1 lists the categories of information NIA disseminates.
- Column 2 indicates the priority NIA assigns to publication of each category.
- Priority 1: Urgent public health emergency and safety information.
- Priority 2: Time-sensitive information.
- Priority 3: Information of interest to a broad spectrum of audiences.
- Priority 4: Other information.
- Column 3 indicates the publication schedule for the category.
Category |
Priority |
Publication Target |
---|---|---|
|
2 |
As available, unless otherwise required by law |
|
3 |
As available, unless otherwise required by law |
|
4 |
As available, unless otherwise required by law |
|
4 |
As available, unless otherwise required by law |
|
2 |
As available, unless otherwise required by law |
|
4 |
As available, unless otherwise required by law |
|
4 |
As required by law |
Copyright and Trademark Information
The public may reproduce without permission information from the National Institute of Aging (NIA) website, except for documents that state another copyright policy applies to them. Restrictions on the reproduction of a document may arise if a private party has sponsored it. Information presented on NIA’s website is authored and owned by the Federal government which is in the public domain.
However, using NIA websites, you may encounter documents, illustrations, photographs, or other information resources contributed or licensed by private individuals, companies, or organizations that may be protected by U.S. and foreign copyright laws. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use as defined in the copyright laws requires the written permission of the copyright owners. See Copyrighted Materials section below for further details.
Specific NIA websites containing protected information provide additional notification of conditions associated with its use.
Any information that is reproduced from this site should contain proper acknowledgement of NIA as the originator and NIA’s website (www.nia.nih.gov) as the source.
Copyrighted Material
Some information on NIA’s website may be subject to copyright restrictions. This information includes documents, images, or multimedia in which another copyright policy applies to them. This information may include but not limited to:
- Rights managed images, documents, or multimedia
- Royalty free images, documents, or multimedia
- Privately sponsored images, documents, or multimedia
- Documents, images, or files marked with a copyright symbol
- Documents, images, or files displaying the phrase, “All Rights Reserved”
Note: United States law does not require a copyright notice, and therefore, not all copyrighted material available on NIA’s website will be necessarily marked in these ways. Therefore it is the responsibility of the person/agency using or copying the information to research whether the information is copyrighted and under what laws the material falls as well as what restrictions for use may be applicable.
If a page is copyrighted, transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use as defined in federal copyright laws may require written permission of the copyright owners.
Information Quality
The NIA adheres to National Institutes of Health standards for information quality, found at http://aspe.hhs.gov/infoquality/Guidelines/NIHinfo2.shtml. Learn about Plain Writing at NIH at https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/plain-language.
Digital Strategy
You can find the HHS Digital Strategy, including information on governance and data publication processes at http://www.hhs.gov/web/governance/digital-strategy/index.html.
Small Business Point of Contact
If you're a small business interested in contracting at NIH, please start by reading the information provided by our parent Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, at http://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/asfr/ogapa/osbdu/index.html.
Open Government
Read the Open Government Plan from the Department of Health and Human Services, our parent Agency, at http://www.hhs.gov/open.
No FEAR Act - Notification and Federal Employee Anti-discrimination and Retaliation Act
On May 15, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Notification and Federal Employee Anti-Discrimination and Retaliation (No FEAR) Act (Public Law No. 107-174) to increase federal agency accountability for acts of discrimination or reprisal against employees. The No FEAR Act became effective on October 1, 2003.
This act requires that federal agencies post on their public websites certain summary statistical data relating to equal employment opportunity complaints filed against the respective agencies.
Statistical information in accordance with the No FEAR Act relating to the National Institutes of Health equal employment opportunity complaints is available on the NIH/EDI website.
Privacy Policy
Last updated: November 2023
Protecting your privacy is very important to us. We do not collect any personally identifiable information (PII) about you during your visit to NIA’s websites unless you choose to provide it to us. We do, however, collect some data about your visit to NIA’s websites to help us better understand how the use of these sites and how to make them more helpful. We collect information from visitors who read, browse, and/or download information from our website. NIA never collects information for commercial marketing or any purpose unrelated to NIA's mission and goals. NIA privacy policies align with privacy policies for NIH and HHS. See NIH Privacy Policies and HHS Privacy Policy.
Questions about NIA/NIH privacy policies should be sent to the NIH Privacy Act Officer.
Security
This website is part of a Federal computer system used to accomplish Federal functions. Computer software programs as well as other methods are used to monitor network traffic on this website for security purposes. By accessing this website, you are expressly consenting to these monitoring activities.
Unauthorized attempts to defeat or circumvent security features; to use the system for other than intended purposes; to deny service to authorized users; to access, obtain, alter, damage, or destroy information; or to otherwise interfere with the system or its operation are strictly prohibited. Evidence of such acts may be disclosed to law enforcement authorities and may result in criminal prosecution under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996, as codified at Section 1030 of Title 18 of the United States Code, or other applicable criminal laws.
Open Data
The HHS website, https://www.healthdata.gov, makes health data available to entrepreneurs, researchers, and policy makers in the hopes of better outcomes for all.
Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
HHS is committed to ensuring the security of the American public by protecting their information from unwarranted disclosure. This policy is intended to give security researchers clear guidelines for conducting vulnerability discovery activities and to convey how to submit discovered vulnerabilities to HHS. This policy describes what systems and types of research are covered under this policy, how to send vulnerability reports, and how long HHS asks security researchers to wait before publicly disclosing vulnerabilities. Read the HHS Vulnerability Disclosure Policy.
Linking Policy
We encourage individuals and organizations to link to the NIA website (www.nia.nih.gov) and other websites managed by NIA, including Alzheimers.gov (www.alzheimers.gov) and the NIH Intramural Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (www.card.nih.gov). The source can be cited based on the following examples:
- Source: National Institute on Aging (www.nia.nih.gov), part of the National Institutes of Health
- Source: Alzheimers.gov (www.alzheimers.gov), managed by the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health
External Links
NIA-managed websites may link to other websites, including federal agencies as well as non-federal websites that have useful information or resources.
Exit Disclaimer Policy
The NIA website includes links to information created and maintained by other organizations for our users' information and convenience. When users select a link to an outside website, they are leaving the NIA site.
- Links to nonfederal government websites will include a small icon behind the hyperlinked text or URL to indicate that the link leads to another site.
- NIA links to external websites to supplement the information found on the NIA website. While NIA uses strict criteria to evaluate links, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of information on an external website.
- Linking to an external website does not indicate an endorsement by NIA of the views expressed or the products/services offered.
- Users will be subject to the external website’s privacy policy when they exit the NIA website.
- NIA does not guarantee that outside websites comply with Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.
Evaluation Criteria for External Links
NIA evaluates links using the following criteria as a guide:
Website Content
- The organization provides accurate, science-based information that is written/reviewed by subject matter experts. The information complements or enhances the information available from NIA.
- The source of the content is trustworthy and transparent.
- The information provided is easy to understand, easy to navigate, and well organized.
- The website has original content. NIA will not link to pages that were reproduced from other websites.
- Information is current. In most cases, this means that a last updated or last reviewed date is included.
Website Advertising
- The website does not sell or promote a product, service, or belief. NIA may link to companies that are recognized by the NIA Small Business Program. In addition, NIA may occasionally link to a website with advertising that provides high-quality, impartial information that is not available elsewhere. In these cases, the advertising must not suggest commercial influence on the content, and advertisers or sponsors must not play a role in selecting or editing health information.
- The content or visuals do not suggest or imply that NIA endorses the products or services.
Website Availability and Maintenance
- The website is consistently available and website services are delivered over a secure connection using hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS).
- The website includes contact information for customer support or staff who maintain the website.
- Links are properly maintained.
User Privacy
- If a linked website collects personal information using email, forms, or surveys, it must clearly display a privacy policy that explains how information collected from users remains private and confidential.
Videos
In addition to the criteria for websites listed above, we use the following guidelines when considering video links and/or requests to embed a video:
- Videos are in a format that is playable on most desktop and mobile devices.
- Videos do not auto-play when a webpage is opened.
- Videos do not have flashing lights or strobe effects.
- Videos must include closed captioning or transcripts, and on-screen text or graphics should not overlap with captioning. Autogenerated captions must be reviewed for accuracy.
- Videos must be produced and hosted by NIA, organizations that receive NIA funding, NIH, or other federal government agencies.
Review of Links
- NIA reviews links on an ongoing basis. If you encounter a link that is no longer operational, please use the NIA Contact Us form to notify us.
Comments Policy
We encourage and welcome your comments on certain pages of the NIA's website, and on our social media sites, including Facebook. In accordance with the Federal government's social media comment policies, NIA, part of the National Institutes of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has instituted the following policy in an effort to maintain respectful interaction:
All viewpoints are welcome, but comments should remain relevant to NIA and information associated with the page in question.
Guidelines for Posted Comments
All comments will be reviewed before being posted to ensure that they adhere to the guidelines below. Comments will be deleted if they contain:
- Commercial endorsements, spam, advertising, or promoting of products/services. This includes repeated posts of identical or very similar content in a counter-productive manner.
- Personal attacks.
- Partisan political views.
- Discriminatory, racist, offensive, obscene, inflammatory, unlawful, or otherwise objectionable statements, language, or content.
- Deliberately false or misleading information.
- Unfair/unsubstantiated partisan political views.
- Personally identifiable information. This refers to information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, either alone or when combined with other personal or identifying information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual. To protect your privacy, please do not share personal information, such as your address, email, or telephone number, or health status in the text of your comment. The NIA follows the privacy guidelines of the U.S. Government.
Records of posts and comments will be kept.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in user comments reflect those of the author and do not reflect the official views of the National Institute on Aging, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, or other parts of the Federal government.
Linking to a non-federal site does not constitute an endorsement by NIA, NIH, HHS, or any of its employees.
Do not submit copyrighted or other proprietary material in any form unless you clearly indicate that you have permission to do so. By posting your comments or other work, you grant NIA and anyone viewing the NIA website permission to copy, distribute, make derivatives, display or perform the commenter's work publicly and free-of-charge.
Your comments are welcome at any time. Comments will be reviewed/posted on weekdays except for Federal holidays.
If you want to post a comment to the NIA blog, Inside NIA, please provide your name (or nickname) and e-mail address. We will only publish your name – not your email address – along with your comment. We ask for your e-mail address so that we can contact you if necessary. E-mail addresses included in the text of the comment will be deleted.
Media
If you are a reporter, please send questions to the NIA Office of Communications and Public Liaison through standard channels rather than by submitting questions as comments.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this comment policy or the privacy policy, please contact us.
NIA Logo Policy
As is the case for all U.S. federal government logos, Department of Health and Human Services logos are protected by law from unauthorized use. The NIH Office of Communications and Public Liaison maintains the policy for use of NIH logos, including the NIA logo.
Use of NIH logos can suggest or appear as an endorsement and may unintentionally imply direct NIH involvement. The NIH and NIA logos are for government use only and not for the use of the private sector, regardless of whether a grant recipient, vendor, or contractor is a not-for-profit entity.
NIH logo guidance prohibits:
- Use of NIH/NIA logos by outside groups without, in exceedingly rare circumstances, express written permission
- Use of the NIH/NIA name or logo in a social media handle
- Creation of new logos for any purpose including new programs, labs, or offices
- Creation of “swag” (e.g., lab coats, shirts, hoodies, pens) imprinted with logos
NIA-funded researchers and institutions must still credit NIA on their websites or other materials in text, e.g., “This research was supported by grant #### from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health.”
For questions about this policy, please contact niaic@nia.nih.gov.