STM is the leading global trade association for academic and professional publishers. 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, assist national and international organizations/communications industries in the electronic environment for improving the dissemination, storage, and retrieval of scientific, technical, and medical information; and carry out the foregoing work in conjunction with the International Publishers Association (IPA) and other governmental and professional bodies. STM participates in the development of information identification protocols and electronic copyright management systems.