The name of this organization shall be International Organization of Psychophysiology. In abbreviated form it shall be known as IOP.
The International Organization of Psychophysiology (hereinafter called the Organization) shall be a nonprofit organization. Its objectives shall be
In order to achieve its objectives, the functions of the Organization shall be
The work of the Organization shall be carried out by
Qualified specialists in Psychophysiology, the Neurosciences, and Psychological and Biomedical Sciences from all nations are eligible for Membership in the Organization. The Membership categories shall be those of Members and Associate Members and shall be defined in Article 1.1 of the Bylaws of the Organization.
The Membership shall have the rights and privileges specified in Article 1.2 of the Bylaws of the Organization; it shall have the duties and obligations specified in Article 1.3 of the Bylaws of the Organization.
The Membership and the Board of Directors meetings shall take place during the Congresses of the Organization. Additional meetings may be convened at the request of either a majority of the Board of Directors or a majority of the Membership.
The functions of the Membership shall be
There shall be four Officers who shall be elected from the Membership for terms of approximately six years.
The Officers shall be the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary and the Treasurer. The Officers may be re-elected but may serve only two consecutive terms in the same position.
The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Organization. S/he shall preside over all meetings of the Board of Directors and the Membership. S/he shall have primary responsibility for the affairs of the Organization and shall exercise general supervision of the operations of the Organization.
The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in the case of the latter's absence or incapacity. The Secretary shall ensure that the records of the meetings of the Board of Directors and of the Membership are properly maintained. The Treasurer shall oversee the financial affairs of the Organization.
The Board of Directors is the governing body of the Organization.
There shall be a Board of Directors comprising the Officers and ten or eleven Directors. Nine of the Directors shall be elected from the Membership. The nine Directors shall be elected for a term of approximately six years. These terms shall be staggered so that the positions of three Directors shall become vacant approximately every two years. Elected Directors may serve only two consecutive terms. The Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Psychophysiology shall be an ex-officio Director. The Editor-in-Chief shall be appointed as specified in Chapter X of the Constitution of the Organization. The immediate past-President of the Organization may be invited by the Board to be an ex-officio Director.
The voting shall take place in meetings and/or by mail and/or e-mail ballot. A majority vote shall be necessary for a decision.
There shall be Standing Committees as defined in Article 2.1 of the Bylaws of the Organization. Special Committees may be established by the Board of Directors.
The Committees shall be headed by a Chair who shall be appointed by the President and approved by the Board of Directors. The Chair in turn shall appoint the Members of his or her Committee. The term and composition of Standing Committees shall be defined in Article 2.1 of the Bylaws of the Organization.
National scientific societies shall have the right to affiliate with the Organization. The procedure for establishing an Affiliation to the Organization shall be to make a formal request to the Organization. Acceptance of an Affiliation shall be decided by the Board of Directors of the Organization.
There shall be a General Meeting of the Membership at each Congress of the Organization. The timing of successive Congresses of the Organization shall define the duration of appointments as Director or Officer of the Organization, over-riding a strict two-year time unit.
There shall be the International Journal of Psychophysiology, which shall serve as the official and principal publication of the Organization. It shall be directed by an Editor-in-Chief and an Editorial Board. The Editor-in-Chief shall be appointed by consultation between the Publisher and the Organization, subject to the Publisher's final approval. The Board of Directors may nominate two candidates for appointment to the Editorial Board, and the Editor-in-Chief will nominate the other editors. The Publisher shall have final approval.
The Officers and Directors shall be elected by Members of the Organization voting by any legal means.
Members shall be invited to submit recommendations for nominations for Officers and Directors to the Chair of the Nominating Committee.
Election ballots that are returned by the deadline by any legal means shall be certified by the Chair of the Nominating Committee. The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall inform the President of the election results, who shall promptly notify the elected Officers and Directors and identify them at the next General Meeting of the Membership.
New Officers and Directors shall assume office at the close of the next General Meeting of the Membership and shall hold office until their successors are elected and accept office in their stead.
In the case of death, incapacity, resignation or otherwise of any of the Officers or Directors, the Board of Directors shall, by majority vote, elect or appoint a successor to fill such vacancy, and to serve until the next General Meeting of the Membership. For such a position, the election or appointment shall take place no longer than six months following the vacancy.
The official language of the Organization shall be English.
The Secretariat shall be located at the President's office.
The Constitution of the Organization may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors, voting by mail or e-mail ballot. Amendments may be proposed by at least twenty-five percent of the Membership, or by at least four members of the Board of Directors. Amendments proposed by the Membership shall be deposited with the Chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.
In case of doubt or dispute as to the precise meaning of the Constitution, the Board of Directors shall make an interpretation.
Members and Associate Members shall have the following rights and privileges:
Members and Associate Members shall have the following duties and obligations:
The Organization shall have the following standing Committees, appointed by the President, with approval by the Board of Directors:
The emblem of the Organization shall consist of a human being with open arms embracing the biosphere. The biosphere shall be surrounded by two branches of thick olive leaves, and on top shall be affixed the initials of the Organization. The emblem of the Organization cannot be reproduced, or utilized in any form or by any means without permission of the Board of Directors.
The President shall open an official bank account of the Organization. The current address for the fiscal code is: Prof. Giuseppe Augusto Chiarenza, c/o UONPIA via Gorizia 25, 20017 Rho, Milano, Italy.
At the General Meeting of the Membership, an Auditor or Auditors shall be appointed for the purpose of auditing and verifying the accounts of the organization.
The Organization and Affiliated Societies may advertise on the IOP website. Such advertising is to be limited to IOP-related material (e.g., advertising for the IOP congress, special issues of the International Journal of Psychophysiology, etc.) and that of Affiliated Societies.
In addition to the present Bylaws, the Board of Directors may from time to time make further Bylaws for the regulation and management of the affairs of the Organization, and may likewise from time to time repeal or amend the present Bylaws.
The Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors, voting by mail and/or e-mail ballot. Amendments may be proposed by at least ten percent of the Membership or by at least two members of the Board of Directors. Amendments proposed by the Membership shall be deposited with the Chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.
8.1 Congresses
The congress expected in 2020 shall be postponed to 2021. The subsequent congresses shall take place every two years in and after 2023, unless unexpected events happen.
In case of doubt or dispute as to the precise meaning of these Bylaws, the Board of Directors shall make an Interpretation.
Drafted in 1981 and established in 1982.
Fully revised and enacted on February 1, 2011.
Amendments of Bylaw 1.4 (Membership Dues) approved on March 19, 2014.
Addition of Bylaw 5 (Affiliated Societies) approved on May 27, 2015.
Amendments of Constitution Article 22 (Election procedure) and Article 25 (Replacement), Bylaw 1.4 (Membership Dues), and Deletion of the Bylaw article about the transitional measures of elections approved on October 24, 2016.
Addition of Bylaw 6 (Advertisements) approved on April 25, 2018.
Amendments of Bylaws 1.4 (Membership dues) and 5.1 (Rights and Privileges of Affiliated Societies) approved on September 8, 2018.
Variation of Articles 3, 9, 13, 18, and Bylaw 8 to replace fixed two- or six-year intervals by approximate periods following the COVID disruption of the 2020 Congress, approved by the Board of Directors, and enacted on March 21, 2021.
Amendments of Article 13 (The board of directors) regarding the immediate past-President as an ex-officio Director approved on March 30, 2022.