Repository Policies

Metadata Policy

for information describing items in the repository
  1. Anyone may access the metadata free of charge.
  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
    • E-Prints On-line is mentioned
  3. The metadata must not be re-used in any medium for commercial purposes without formal permission.

Data Policy

for full-text and other full data items
  1. Anyone may access full items free of charge.
  2. Single copies of full items can be:
    • reproduced, displayed or performed, given to third parties, and stored in a database in any format or medium
    • for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit 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 harvested by robots except transiently for full-text indexing or citation analysis
  4. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without formal permission of the copyright holders.
  5. Mention of E-Prints On-line is appreciated but not mandatory.

Content Policy

for types of document & data set held
  1. This is an institutional or departmental repository.
  2. E-Prints On-line holds all types of materials except:
    • Software
    • Patents
    • Other special item types
  3. Deposited items may include:
    • working drafts
    • submitted versions (as sent to journals for peer-review)
    • accepted versions (author's final peer-reviewed drafts)
    • published versions (publisher-created files)
  4. Items are individually tagged with:
    • their peer-review status.
    • their publication status.

Submission Policy

concerning depositors, quality & copyright
  1. Items may only be deposited by accredited members, and academic staff of the institution, or their delegated agents.
  2. Authors may only submit their own work for archiving.
  3. Eligible depositors must deposit bibliographic metadata for all their publications.
  4. No moderation policy defined. Assume nothing has been vetted.
  5. The validity and authenticity of the content of submissions is not checked.
  6. Items can be deposited at any time, but will not be made publicly visible until any publishers' or funders' embargo period has expired.
  7. Any copyright violations are entirely the responsibility of the authors/depositors.
  8. If E-Prints On-line receives proof of copyright violation, the relevant item will be removed immediately.

Preservation Policy

  1. Items will be retained indefinitely.
  2. E-Prints On-line 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.
    • It may not be possible to guarantee the readability of some unusual file formats.
  3. E-Prints On-line is working with external partners to:
    • convert or migrate file formats
    • develop and implement software emulations for old file formats
    • record preservation metadata
    • backup items in external archives
  4. E-Prints On-line regularly backs up its files according to current best practice.
  5. The original bit stream is retained for all items, in addition to any upgraded formats.
  6. Items may not normally be removed from E-Prints On-line.
  7. Acceptable reasons for withdrawal include:
    • Journal publishers' rules
    • Proven copyright violation or plagiarism
    • Legal requirements and proven violations
    • National Security
    • Falsified research
  8. Withdrawn items are not deleted per se, but are removed from public view.
  9. Withdrawn items' identifiers/URLs are retained indefinitely.
  10. URLs will continue to point to 'tombstone' citations, to avoid broken links and to retain item histories, with:
    • a link to a replacement version, where available
  11. Changes to deposited items are not permitted.
  12. Errata and corrigenda lists may be included with the original record if required.
  13. If necessary, an updated version may be deposited.
    • The earlier version may be withdrawn from public view.
    • The item's persistent URL will always link to the latest version.
  14. In the event of E-Prints On-line being closed down, the database will be transferred to another appropriate archive.