The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) has established the following terms of use we expect all visitors, whether registered or not, to follow while on our site. Your continued use of our site means that you acknowledge these terms of use and agree to abide by them. Because we reserve the right to modify these terms of use at any time without notice to you, please check them regularly. Please note that you will be referred to as “user" from time to time in this agreement.

General Rules

Sigma requires personal data for membership. By providing that personal information, you are giving your consent to have your personal data processed for the specific purpose of membership. Processing that personal data is necessary for Sigma to pursue a legitimate interest in you as a member. 

You agree and continue to agree to use our web site in a manner consistent with all applicable laws and regulations and in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in the policies and guidelines outlined below. We strive to provide the best user experience possible by ensuring that our site fosters interaction in a safe and respectful manner. Please note that our site is not intended for the use of minors under the age of 18 unless the usage is accompanied by the consent of the applicable parent or guardian of the user.

We do not control the information posted on our bulletin board, chat rooms and other public areas (herein called Public Areas) and do not guarantee the accuracy, integrity or quality of such content. By using Public Areas you may be exposed to content that is offensive, indecent or objectionable You agree that you bear all risks associated with the use of any content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of such content. Under no circumstances will Sigma or any of its subsidiaries be liable in any way for any content, including, but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any content, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any content posted, emailed, or otherwise transmitted via Public Areas. 

Certain behaviors will not be tolerated on our site, and by continuing to use our site, you are agreeing that you will not post any of the following material in our Public Areas:
     • Advertising or any form of commercial solicitation.
     • Material that is untrue or that defames, abuses, harasses, or threatens others.
     • Statements that are bigoted, hateful, mean spirited, or ethnically, or racially offensive.
     • Material that advocates illegal activity or discusses illegal activities with the intent to commit them.
     • Unauthorized copyrighted material, including, but not limited to, text, sound or graphic files.
     • Material that contains vulgar, obscene, pornographic, or indecent language or images.

We do not pre-screen content in our Public Areas. Any posted content solely represents the views of the user who posted it and does not represent the views of, validation by, or endorsement of Sigma or any of its subsidiaries. Sigma shall have the right, but not the obligation, in our sole discretion to refuse or remove any content that violates the above terms or is otherwise objectionable. Any user who posts objectionable material on our site will be responsible for all of our damages, direct or indirect, arising from such posting. In addition, depending on the nature and extent of the violation, we may, at our sole discretion terminate such user’s account.

Registration Obligations

In consideration of your use of the site, you agree to: (a) provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself when prompted by the site's profile form and (b) maintain and promptly update that information to keep such information true, accurate, current and complete. Registration data and certain other information about you are subject to our Privacy Policy. 

Password and Security

You have an important role to play in protecting the security of your data, and here are two important responsibilities: 

If you choose to complete a profile, you must determine a password to be accompanied with your email address to complete the registration process. It Is important to protect your ID number and password, and you are fully responsible for all activities performed and for access to your personal data that is obtained via your ID and password. You must ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. 

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the password and user ID. Sigma presumes that any use of your ID and password is by you. If you believe your ID and password have been compromised, you are to immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your password, user ID, or any other breach of security by calling 1.888.634.7575 (US/Canada toll-free) or contacting Member Services. Upon being notified, Sigma will initiate a process to investigate your claim. 

Links

Our site may provide links to third-party websites. Because we have no control over such third-party site(s), you acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible for the availability of such external sites or resources, and do not endorse and are not responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products, or other materials on or available from such sites or resources. You further acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with your use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on or through any such site.

License to Use Our Site

We grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-assignable and non-transferable license to use and display the contents of and services on our site. Unauthorized copying or duplication of the contents in any manner including software that has been modified, merged or included on the site, or the written materials associated therewith is expressly forbidden. You acknowledge that you may not sublicense, transfer, sell or assign this license or the services received thereunder. Any attempt to sublicense, transfer, sell or assign this license is void.

Unauthorized access to registered areas of the site by non-registered users is prohibited.

Reviews, Comments, Communications, and Other Content

Users may post reviews, comments, and other content and submit suggestions, ideas, comments, questions, or other information, so long as the content meets our Rules of Conduct and does not consist of or contain software viruses, chain letters, mass mailings, or any form of SPAM. You may not use a false email address, impersonate any person or entity, or otherwise mislead as to the origin of any statement or other content. Sigma reserves the right (but not the obligation) to remove or edit such content, but does not regularly review posted content. If you do post content or submit material, and unless we indicate otherwise, you grant Sigma and its affiliates a nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sub-licensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such content throughout the world in any media. You grant Sigma and its affiliates and sub licensees the right to use the name that you submit in connection with such content, if they choose. You represent and warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the content that you post; that the content is accurate; that use of the content you supply does not violate this policy and will not cause injury to any person or entity; and that you will indemnify Sigma or its affiliates for all claims resulting from content you supply. Sigma takes no responsibility and assumes no liability for any content posted by you or any other third party.

Posting of Copyrighted or Objectionable Materials

Any posting of the following material is strictly prohibited:

1. Unauthorized copies of or links to any unauthorized use of copyrighted photographs, drawings, graphics, text or other writings, computer programs or other software, recordings or designs; files containing advertisements or solicitations aimed at persuading other members to use certain goods or services; any material or links to material of a sexually explicit nature, including photographs and text.

2. Copyrighted material, including without limitation text, photographs, sound, video and music, may not be placed on the site without the express permission of the author or owner of the copyright on the material. You acknowledge that only the owner or someone authorized by the owner to post the material may do so. The downloading of copyrighted material is allowed by you but only for your own personal use. You may not copy, reproduce, retransmit, distribute, publish, commercially exploit or otherwise transfer any copyrighted material. The burden of determining that any information, software or any other content on the site is not protected by copyright rests with you. You acknowledge that we and third-party content providers remain the owners of the posted materials, and that you do not acquire any of those ownership rights by downloading or posting copyrighted materials. If you have questions about permissions issues, please contact Member Services.

Copyright

The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing hereby authorizes you to copy documents published on the web by Sigma solely for your personal, non-commercial use, provided that each copy of these documents which you make shall retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained herein. Nothing herein should be construed as conferring by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right under any Sigma patent or trademark or the trademark of any third party. Except as expressly provided above, nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring any license or right under any Sigma copyright.

This publication is provided "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MECHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above exclusion may not apply to you.

Should any viewer of a Sigma published document respond with information including feedback data, such as questions, comments, suggestions, etc. regarding the content of any such Sigma document, such information shall be deemed to be non-confidential and Sigma shall have no obligation of any kind with respect to any such information and shall be free to reproduce, use, disclose, and distribute the information to others without limitation. Sigma shall be free to use any ideas, concepts, know-how, or techniques contained in such information for any purpose whatsoever, including, but not limited to developing, manufacturing, and marketing products incorporating such information.

Sigma respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, or your intellectual property rights have been otherwise violated, please provide Sigma’s Copyright Agent the following information:

     • An electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright or other intellectual property interest,
     • A description of the copyrighted work or other intellectual property that you claim has been infringed,

A description of where the material you claim is infringing is located on the site,

     • Your address, telephone number, and email address,
     • A statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law,
     • A statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your Notice is accurate and that you are copyright or intellectual property owner or authorized to act on the copyright or intellectual property owner's behalf.

Sigma Copyright Agent can be reached as follows:

Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing 
Attention: Chief Communications Officer
550 W. North Street 
Indianapolis, IN 46202

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND WARRANTY

YOU AGREE THAT USE OF OUR SITE IS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. OUR SITE AND THE SERVICES PROVIDED THEREIN ARE PROVIDED "AS IS," WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY WARRANTY FOR INFORMATION, SERVICES, UNINTERRUPTED ACCESS, OR PRODUCTS PROVIDED THROUGH OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION OUR SOFTWARE OR SERVICES LICENSED TO YOU AND THE RESULTS OBTAINED THROUGH THE SERVICE (UNLESS SUCH WARRANTIES ARE LEGALLY INCAPABLE OF EXCLUSION). SPECIFICALLY, WE DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION: 1) ANY WARRANTIES CONCERNING THE AVAILABILITY, ACCURACY OR CONTENT OF INFORMATION, PRODUCTS OR SERVICES; AND 2) ANY WARRANTIES OF TITLE OR WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

THIS DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY APPLIES TO ANY DAMAGES OR INJURY CAUSED BY ANY FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE, ERROR, OMISSION, INTERRUPTION, DELETION, DEFECT, DELAY IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, COMPUTER VIRUS, COMMUNICATION LINE FAILURE, THEFT OR DESTRUCTION OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO, ALTERATION OF, OR USE OF RECORD, WHETHER FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORTIOUS BEHAVIOR, NEGLIGENCE, OR UNDER ANY OTHER CAUSE OF ACTION. YOU SPECIFICALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR THE DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF OTHER USERS OR THIRD-PARTIES AND THAT THE RISK OF INJURY FROM THE FOREGOING RESTS ENTIRELY WITH YOU.

OUR ENTIRE LIABILITY AND YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDY WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF OUR SERVICES IS THE CANCELLATION OF YOUR REGISTRATION WITH US.

NEITHER WE NOR ANY OF OUR AGENTS, AFFILIATES, C0-BRANDERS, PARTNERS OR CONTENT PROVIDERS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, LOST PROFITS, OR SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF USE OF THE SITE OR INABILITY TO GAIN ACCESS TO OR USE THE SITE OR OUT OF ANY BREACH OF ANY WARRANTY. YOU HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL APPLY TO ALL CONTENT AND SERVICES ON THE SITE.

Service Marks and Trademarks

The Sigma, Sigma Marketplace, and Sigma Foundation for Nursing logos are trademarks of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, as are older logos and trademarks of the Sigma organization. Any other service marks or trademarks appearing on the site are service marks or trademarks of their respective owners. You shall not display, disparage, dilute, or taint our service mark or use any confusingly similar marks or use our mark in such a way that would misrepresent who the proper owner of such marks is. You shall not use the trademarks without Sigma’s express consent. If you are granted permission to use our Service Mark, any use of our service mark by you shall inure to our benefit.

Notice

We may give notice to you by means of a general notice on the site or via electronic mail to your email address on record. You may give notice to us, and such notice shall be deemed given when received by us, at any time by any of the following:

     • Member Services
     • Letter delivered by first class postage prepaid mail to the following address:
       Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing
       Attention: Constituent Service Center
       550 W. North Street
       Indianapolis, IN 46202

Indemnification

Upon our request, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold Sigma harmless from any dispute which may arise from your breach of the terms of this agreement. You agree to hold Sigma and our affiliates, employees, contractors, officers, directors, co-branders, partners and content providers harmless from any and all claims and expenses, including attorney's fees and court costs, related to your violation of this agreement, including the rules of conduct, or any information, software, files, messages or other content placed on our site by you. We reserve the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you. In that event, you shall have no further obligation to provide indemnification to us in that matter.

We may terminate your account or access rights to the site at any time, without notice, for conduct that we believe violates this agreement or other policies or guidelines that we have posted on our site.

Your Acceptance of These Terms

By using this site, you signify your assent to the Sigma terms of use and privacy policy. If you do not agree with these terms and our privacy policy, please refrain from using our site. Your continued use of the Sigma site following a reasonable notice of changes to our privacy policy or terms of use will mean you accept the changes.

View a PDF version of our terms of service.

Last updated 5/18/18

We respect your privacy

The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) affirms that any personal information you provide to us, including your name, address, telephone number, and email address, will not be released, sold, or rented to any entities or individuals outside of our organization except as noted below.

Information Collection and Use

You may provide Sigma with information by filling in forms on our website(s) or by corresponding with us by phone, email, or other method. This includes information you provide when you register for membership, register for a marketplace account, or respond to a survey. The personal information you provide may include your name, address, email address, phone number, financial and credit card information, and other information about yourself to enable us to provide you with services. By providing us with this information, you expressly consent to our use of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.  

Many of our services do not require any form of registration, allowing you to visit our site without telling us who you are. However, some services may require you to provide us with personal data. In these situations, if you choose to withhold any personal data requested by us, it may not be possible for you to gain access to certain parts of the site or for us to respond to your query. 

Sigma requires personal data for membership. By providing that personal information, you are giving your consent to have your personal data processed for the specific purpose of membership. Processing that personal data is necessary for Sigma to pursue a legitimate interest in you as a member. 

Cookies

A "cookie" is a small data text file that is placed in your browser and allows us to recognize you each time you visit this site (personalization, etc.). Cookies themselves do not contain any personal information, and we do not use cookies to collect personal information. Cookies may also be used by third-party content providers such as newsfeeds.

Information and Websites

You can visit our website without giving away your personal information. Sigma uses Google Analytics and cookies in order to improve our service, user experience, and to analyze how the website is used. Aside from the approximate location (IP address), the information collected by Google Analytics is mostly anonymous traffic data including length of stay on the site, browser information, and device information. The collected information is used to provide an overview of how people are accessing and using the Sigma website. We do not collect additional information from website visitors who do not log in. 

If you use your member login to visit My Membership, you are allowing this website to access and update your personal membership data, which is used to maintain your Sigma membership and accurately contact you. My Membership is a secure website, and shares data only with Sigma servers. 

If you use your membership login to visit The Circle, Nursing Centered, the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, or Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, you are allowing these websites to access your personal membership data to verify you are a Sigma member.  

If you register as a user of Sigma Marketplace, you are allowing that website to access your personal information for the purpose of conducting financial transactions, contacting you about those transactions, and informing you about products and promotions. 

Controller

The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) adheres to the Directive of 1995 (Directive) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) effective 25 May 2018. 

Sigma processes personal data both as a processor and as a controller, as defined in the Directive and the GDPR. The Sigma entity that you as a user entered an agreement with when using Sigma’s platform will be the Controller for User data as outlined above in the Collection of Data section. 

For respondent data, as outlined in the Collection of Respondent Data section, the user will be the controller in accordance with directive and GDPR, and Sigma will be the processor.

All data collected by Sigma will be stored exclusively in security hosting facilities provided by Sigma or its providers. Sigma has a data processing agreement in place with its provide ensuring compliance with the Directive. All data hosting is performed in accordance with the highest security regulations. 

International Privacy Laws

If you are visiting our websites from outside the United States, please be aware that you are sending information (including personal data) to the United States, where our servers are located. That information may then be transferred within the United States or back out of the United States to other countries. These countries (including the United States) may not necessarily have data protection laws as comprehensive or protective as those in your country of residence; however, our collection, storage, and use of your personal data will at all times continue to be governed by this Privacy Policy.

With Whom Do We Share the Personal Information?

Our Service Providers. 
We may share your personal information with companies (including our affiliates) that perform services on our behalf, for example, companies that help process credit card payments. Our service providers are required by contract to protect the confidentiality of the personal information we share with them and to use it only to provide specific services on our behalf. 

Business Transfers. 
Your personal information may be transferred to another entity (either an affiliated entity or an unrelated third party) in connection with a merger, reorganization, dissolution or similar corporate event. If such a transfer were ever to occur, the acquiring entity’s use of your personal information will still be subject to this Privacy Policy. 

Government and Legal Disclosures 
We may disclose the personal information we collect through this website, when we, in good faith, believe disclosure is appropriate to comply with the law (or a court order or subpoena); to prevent or investigate a possible crime, such as fraud or identity theft; to enforce our Terms and Conditions or other agreements that govern your use of this Site; or to protect the rights, property or safety of our company, our users, or others.

Access to Information

You have the right to request access to the information Sigma maintains about you. You can do this by contacting Member Services. We will provide you with a copy of the data we process about you. In order to comply with your request, we may ask you to verify your identity. We will fulfill your request by sending your copy electronically, unless the request expressly specifies a different method. For any subsequent access request, we may charge you with an administrative fee.

Information Correction and Deletion

If you believe the information we have about you is incorrect, you are welcome to contact us so we can update it and keep your data accurate. Any data that is no longer needed for the purposes specified in Information Collection and Use will be deleted. If at any point you wish Sigma to delete information about you, you can contact Member Services. If you request that Sigma delete your information, this may mean that you can no longer have access to Sigma benefits that require login. 

You Can Contact Us at Any Time To: 

     • Request access to information that Sigma has about you
     • Correct any information that Sigma has about you
     • Delete information that Sigma has about you

If you have any additional questions about Sigma’s collection and storage of data, please contact us at: 550 W. North Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202 USA
+1.317.634.8171 (International)

For any other information, please contact us using the Contact Us page

United States Prohibited Countries

Due to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) embargos against the countries of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and the Crimea region of Ukraine, Sigma is prohibited from conducting business with any individual who permanently resides in any of the embargoed countries, and is therefore prohibited from receiving payment for membership, registrations, or purchases from those individuals.

External Sites

We are not responsible for the content of external internet sites. You are advised to read the privacy policy of external sites before disclosing any personal information.

Remember the Risks Whenever You Use the Internet

While we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to us and you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of any passwords or other account information. In addition other Internet sites or services that may be accessible through our site have separate data and privacy practices independent of us, and therefore we disclaim any responsibility or liability for their policies or actions. Please contact those vendors and others directly if you have any questions about their privacy policies. 

View a PDF version of our privacy policy.

Last updated 5/18/18