The ALPSP was formed in 1972, and its mission is to serve, represent and strengthen the community of not-for-profit publishers and those who work with them to disseminate academic and professional information. The Association believes that this is a time of unprecedented change in the publishing environment. The Association intends to play an active part in shaping the future of academic and professional communication, demonstrating the essential role that its member publishers have to play.

The American Medical Writers Association was founded in 1940 to help medical authors. AMWA's mission is to promote excellence in writing, editing and producing printed and electronic biomedical communications. Membership in AMWA is open to anyone interested in any aspect of biomedical communication. The Association seeks to enhance the professionalism of freelance medical writers and editors and of those employed by a hospital, medical school, clinic, health sciences center, foundation, or nonprofit association, or by a pharmaceutical, medical communication, or biotechnology company.

AMWA offers certification via their core and advanced curriculum programs.

See also EMWA, below.

The American Society of Indexers, Inc. (ASI) is a national association founded in 1968 to promote excellence in indexing and increase awareness of the value of well-written and well-designed indexes. The Society serves indexers, librarians, abstractors, editors, publishers, database producers, data searchers, product developers, technical writers, academic professionals, researchers and readers, and others concerned with indexing. It is the only professional organization in the United States devoted solely to the advancement of indexing, abstracting and database construction. ASI encourages the participation of all persons, groups, and organizations interested in indexing and related methods of information retrieval.

BELS was founded in 1991 to evaluate the proficiency of manuscript editors in the life sciences and to award credentials similar to those obtainable in other professions.

The Association offers two primary credentials: Editor in Life Science (ELS) and Diplomate in Life Sciences (ELS-D).

Originally established in 1957, and formerly the Council of Biology Editors, the CSE's mission is to promote excellence in the communication of scientific information. The Association seeks to serve members in the scientific, scientific publishing, and information science communities by fostering networking, education, discussion, and exchange and to be an authoritative resource on current and emerging issues in the communication of scientific information.

The mission of DIA is to serve and develop members by providing a neutral, global forum that promotes the exchange of information critical to their professional performance and achievement. The goal of DIA is to be the most effective means for members to obtain the knowledge they need to advance their career, their profession, and their organization.

The EASE aims to promote improved communication in science by providing efficient means for cooperation among editors in all disciplines of science, and by assisting in the efficient operation of publications in the sciences.

Initially, formal training was provided by affiliation with the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA). In 1999, EMWA established its own educational committee and developed an educational program to provide certification as a European trained Medical Writer.

The Association offers certification under its professional development program.

IMPI is a forum for UK based Information Managers in the pharmaceutical industry to share, agree and resolve common issues relating to information and knowledge management. The Association serves as a focus group to represent industry-wide information needs to suppliers of information products and services, thus leveraging the power of the UK pharmaceutical industry to influence appropriate product development.

MLA fosters excellence in the professional achievement and leadership of health sciences library and information professionals to enhance the quality of health care, education, and research.

SLA is the international association representing the interests of thousands of information professionals in over seventy countries. Special librarians are information resource experts who collect, analyze, evaluate, package, and disseminate information to facilitate accurate decision-making in corporate, academic, and government settings. The Association offers a variety of programs and services designed to help its members serve their customers more effectively and succeed in an increasingly challenging environment of information management and technology. SLA is committed to the professional growth and success of its membership.

The mission of SSP is to advance scholarly publishing and communication, and the professional development of its members through education, collaboration, and networking among individuals in this field. SSP provides the opportunity for interaction among members in all aspects of scholarly publishing, including journal and book publishers, librarians, manufacturers, and web editors.

STM aims to assist publishers and their authors in their activities in disseminating the results of research in the fields of science, technology and medicine. They also aim to assist national and international organizations and communications industries in the electronic environment, who are concerned with improving the dissemination, storage and retrieval of scientific, technical and medical information.

In particular, WAME aims to assist editors in developing countries and editors of small journals, who often face special obstacles such as difficulties obtaining high-quality manuscripts, lack of formal training in editing, limited finances, and limited access to publication expertise.