Policies

Metadata Policy

for information describing items in the repository
  1. Access to some or all of the metadata is controlled.
  2. The metadata may be re-used in any medium without prior permission for not-for-profit purposes provided the OAI Identifier or a link to the original metadata record are given.

Data Policy

for full-text and other full data items
  1. Access to some or all full items is controlled.
  2. Copies of full items generally can be:
    • reproduced, and displayed or performed in any format or medium
    • for personal research or study, or educational purposes without prior permission or charge.
    provided:
    • the authors, title and full bibliographic details are given
    • a hyperlink and/or URL are given for the original metadata page
    • the content is not changed in any way
  3. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without formal permission of the copyright holders.

Content Policy

for types of document & data set held
  1. This is an institutional or departmental repository.
  2. The repository holds all types of materials.
  3. Items are individually tagged with:
    • their version type and date.
    • their peer-review status.
    • their publication status.

Submission Policy

concerning depositors, quality & copyright
  1. Items may only be deposited by accredited members of the organisation, or their delegated agents.
  2. Authors may only submit their own work for archiving.
  3. The administrator only vets items for the eligibility of authors/depositors, relevance to the scope of the repository, valid layout & format, and the exclusion of spam
  4. The validity and authenticity of the content of submissions is the sole responsibility of the depositor.
  5. Items can be deposited at any time, but will not be made publicly visible until any publishers' or funders' embargo period has expired.
  6. Any copyright violations are entirely the responsibility of the authors/depositors.
  7. If the repository receives proof of copyright violation, the relevant item will be removed immediately.

Preservation Policy

  1. Items will be retained indefinitely.
  2. The repository will try to ensure continued readability and accessibility.
    • Items will be migrated to new file formats where necessary.
    • Where possible, software emulations will be provided to access un-migrated formats.
  3. The repository regularly backs up its files according to current best practice.
  4. Items may not normally be removed from the repository.
  5. Acceptable reasons for withdrawal include:
    • Journal publishers' rules
    • Proven copyright violation or plagiarism
    • Legal requirements and proven violations
    • National Security
    • Falsified research
  6. Withdrawn items are not deleted per se, but are removed from public view.
  7. Withdrawn items' identifiers/URLs are retained indefinitely.
  8. URLs will continue to point to 'tombstone' citations, to avoid broken links and to retain item histories.
  9. Changes to deposited items are not permitted.
  10. If necessary, an updated version may be deposited.
  11. In the event of the repository being closed down, the database will be transferred to another appropriate archive.