Ordering National Cancer Institute Publications
Key Points
- The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) publications are free, and
orders for up to 20 items are shipped at no charge. Bulk orders of greater
than 20 items incur a shipping and handling charge (see Questions
1 and 2).
- The number of copies of individual titles that may be ordered varies depending
on current inventory. To ensure publications are available to all requesters,
NCI may set limits on the maximum number of copies that may be ordered by
any one requester each month (see Question 4).
- Organizations that wish to obtain more copies of NCI materials have three
options: (1) Organizations can print individual copies using the View/Print
option on the NCI Publications Locator Web site; (2) organizations can download,
print, and assemble select patient education materials whenever they need
them with NCI’s Contents & Covers option; or (3) organizations
can add on to a Government print order whenever a booklet or brochure is
being printed through NCI’s Ride-On program (see Question
6).
- Arrangements for payment of shipping and handling charges must be made
in advance (see Question 8).
- People outside the United States may order NCI publications (see
Question 11).
- What is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) policy
on the distribution of publications and other materials?
NCI's publications are free, and orders for up to 20 items are shipped
at no charge. Bulk orders of greater than 20 items incur a shipping and
handling charge.
- What is the charge for shipping and handling?
There is no shipping and handling charge for orders of 20 or fewer items—such
an order may consist of 20 copies of one title or any combination of titles
up to a total of 20 items. Orders for more than 20 items have a shipping
and handling fee of 15 cents per copy, with a minimum charge of $8. Current
Federal Government budgetary constraints and NCI’s commitment to meeting
the increasing demand for information about cancer have made these charges
necessary. A program to recover costs of shipping and handling helps to
ensure that the information needs of cancer patients, their families, health
professionals, and the general public are met.
- How do people within the United States place orders
for NCI publications?
Orders may be placed online through the NCI Publications Locator Web site
at http://www.cancer.gov/publications
on the Internet. Orders may also be placed by calling the Publications Ordering
Service (POS). The POS, a service of NCI’s Cancer Information Service,
can be reached by calling toll-free 1–800–4–CANCER
(1–800–422–6237) and selecting the option to order publications.
The POS is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., local
time. Orders may also be sent by fax to 301–330–7968 or mailed
to:
National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS
Publications Ordering Service
Post Office Box 24128
Baltimore, MD 21227
- Is there a limit to the number of copies of
publications that can be ordered?
The number of copies of individual titles that may be ordered varies depending
on current inventory. To ensure publications are available to all requesters,
NCI may set limits on the maximum number of copies that may be ordered by
any one requester each month. For information on the current availability
of NCI materials, please call the POS at
1–800–4–CANCER (1–800–422–6237) or visit
the NCI Publications Locator Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/publications
on the Internet.
- How often can publications be ordered?
Cancer patients, their families, and the general public may order NCI publications
as often as necessary to fulfill their needs. However, in order to maintain
an adequate supply of publications, NCI requests that health professionals
and organizations place bulk orders for individual titles no more than once
a month.
- If my organization needs more publications than
we can order, how can we get more copies?
Organizations that wish to obtain more copies of NCI materials have several
options, which are described below. More information about each option can
be found on the NCI Publications Locator Self-Printing Options Web page
at https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/ncipubs/nciplselfprint.aspx
on the Internet.
Self-Printing Option: Organizations can print individual copies
of a publication by visiting the NCI Publications Locator Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/publications
and choosing the View/Print option in search results. Most publications
can then be printed using the View/Print PDF option in Page Options.
Contents & Covers Option: This option gives organizations the
flexibility to either download and print both contents and covers, or order
professionally printed covers and just download and print the contents.
For more information and to see which materials are currently available
for this option, visit the NCI Publications Locator Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/publications
and look for Contents & Covers in the Collections section.
Ride-On Option: Organizations may purchase more copies of NCI materials
by adding on to the Government’s print order. Adding on to a Government
print order is called a “Ride-On.” A Ride-On allows organizations
to purchase extra copies of publications more economically because of lower
Government printing costs. For more information about Ride-On printing,
see the NCI Office of Communications and Education Ride-On Printing fact
sheet at http://cis.nci.nih.gov/news/Ride-On_printing.pdf
or contact NCI’s Office of Communications and Education by e-mail
at ncipoetinfo@mail.nih.gov.
- How are NCI publications shipped?
Most orders are shipped within 2 business days from NCI’s Distribution
Center in Baltimore, Maryland, by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and should
arrive within 3 business days of shipment. Bulk orders are shipped by USPS
or FedEx within 5 business days. In the continental United States, orders
shipped by USPS should arrive within 10 business days, and FedEx orders
should arrive within 5 business days after shipment, depending on geographic
location.
- What are the methods of payment for orders?
Arrangements for payment of shipping and handling charges must be made
in advance. Payment for bulk orders placed by phone or through the NCI Publications
Locator Web site must be made by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, or American
Express only). Orders placed by mail can be paid by check, money order,
or credit card. Purchase orders must be faxed to 410–646–3117.
Checks or money orders should be made payable to the Publications Ordering
Service. Payments for bulk orders should be mailed to the following address:
National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS
Publications Ordering Service
Post Office Box 24128
Baltimore, MD 21227
- Is there a charge for rush orders?
The charge for rush orders is the actual cost of the expedited shipping. This charge is in addition to the shipping and handling fee that is applied to bulk orders. Payment for rush orders must be made via credit card at
the time of ordering. VISA, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. To place a rush order, please call the POS at 1–800–4–CANCER (1–800–422–6237) and select the option to order publications.
- How are underpayments, overpayments, and refunds
handled?
Underpayments:
If an order is underpaid, the quantity of materials shipped is adjusted
down.
Overpayments:
If an order is overpaid by $10 or less, the quantity of the materials shipped
is adjusted upward. Overpayments of more than $10 are refunded by check
in the amount of the overpayment.
Refunds:
The POS does not make refunds or offer exchanges on orders after they have
been shipped. In the event of a shipping error on the part of the POS, a
refund and/or free replacement of the order will be provided.
- Can people outside the United States order
NCI publications?
Yes. It is NCI policy to send up to five publications without a shipping
charge to individuals or organizations outside the United States. All international
orders for six or more publications are charged actual shipping costs. International
orders are limited to 100 total copies, based on current inventory availability.
Requests for materials to be sent to a non-U.S. address can be submitted
as follows:
E-mail: |
ocsoce@mail.nih.gov
|
Fax: |
301–330–7968
|
Mail: |
National Cancer
Institute, NIH, DHHS
Publications Ordering Service
Post Office Box 24128
Baltimore, MD 21227 |
The process for ordering six or more items is as follows:
- The requester submits a list of requested materials to the POS and includes
complete shipping address and contact information (fax number or e-mail
address).
- POS responds with the shipping cost of the order.
- The requester mails, faxes, or e-mails the list of requested materials
and payment (credit card preferred; check or money order in U.S. currency)
to the address or fax number above. VISA, MasterCard, and American Express
credit cards are accepted.
- The order is shipped when payment is received.
- How can people find out more about the NCI
publications distribution policy?
Additional information about NCI’s publications distribution policy
is available by calling the POS toll-free at 1–800–4–CANCER
(1–800–422–6237) and selecting the option to order publications.
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