Electronic Filing

1. Digital Preservation Policy

The journal is committed to ensuring the long-term preservation, accessibility, integrity, and availability of all published scholarly content. This policy aims to safeguard the scholarly record against data loss, technical failures, server disruptions, technological obsolescence, and potential discontinuation of journal publishing activities.

The journal recognizes digital preservation as an essential responsibility of scholarly publishing and seeks to maintain reliable access to published articles and their associated metadata for future generations of researchers, academics, and the wider scientific community.

Digital preservation activities cover published articles, supplementary materials, bibliographic metadata, and other essential publication records, where applicable.

2. Digital Archiving and Preservation Mechanisms

The journal adopts a digital preservation strategy that may combine publisher-managed archiving, institutional repositories, and recognized third-party preservation services.

Depending on the preservation infrastructure implemented by the publisher, the journal may utilize the following mechanisms:

a. PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN)

The PKP Preservation Network provides a distributed digital preservation service for eligible journals using Open Journal Systems (OJS). It is designed to support the long-term preservation of scholarly content and facilitate continued access when a journal becomes permanently unavailable.

Where the journal is registered and actively participating in PKP PN, published content is preserved through a distributed preservation infrastructure based on LOCKSS technology.

b. LOCKSS and CLOCKSS

LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) and CLOCKSS (Controlled Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) are digital preservation initiatives designed to protect scholarly publications through distributed and redundant archiving systems.

Where the publisher participates in these services, journal content may be preserved independently of the primary journal website, helping ensure its long-term survival and availability under the applicable preservation and access arrangements.

c. Institutional Repository

The journal supports the preservation of published articles through institutional or subject-based repositories, in accordance with its copyright and licensing policies.

Authors are encouraged to deposit the published version of their articles in recognized repositories when permitted by the applicable publication license.

Institutional repositories may provide additional storage, accessibility, and discoverability for scholarly publications.

d. Publisher-Managed Digital Archiving

The publisher maintains journal content and publication records through its electronic publishing infrastructure.

Digital archiving may include the retention of article files, journal issues, publication metadata, editorial records, and other materials necessary to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

The publisher is responsible for establishing appropriate storage, security, backup, and recovery procedures to minimize the risk of data loss.

3. Data Backup and Recovery

The journal recognizes that regular data backup and recovery procedures are essential for maintaining the security and operational continuity of its publishing platform.

The publisher is responsible for implementing appropriate backup procedures covering the journal database, published article files, supplementary materials, website configuration, and other essential system components.

Backup copies should be maintained separately from the primary production environment and protected through appropriate access controls and security measures.

In the event of server failure, data corruption, cyberattacks, or other technical disruptions, the publisher will undertake reasonable recovery measures to restore journal operations and access to published content.

Backup procedures should be periodically evaluated to ensure that stored information can be recovered when necessary.

4. Persistent Identification and Metadata Preservation

The journal supports the long-term identification and discoverability of published scholarly articles through persistent identifiers and standardized bibliographic metadata.

Where Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are assigned, the publisher is responsible for maintaining accurate DOI registration information and updating article landing-page URLs when necessary.

Bibliographic metadata, including article titles, author names, abstracts, publication dates, volume and issue information, and persistent identifiers, should be preserved alongside the published content.

The journal also supports metadata interoperability through recognized scholarly publishing standards and compatible metadata dissemination protocols, such as the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH), where implemented.

Persistent identifiers and metadata dissemination support the identification and discovery of scholarly content but do not independently replace digital preservation systems.

5. Continuity of Access

The journal is committed to maintaining the accessibility of published scholarly content, including in circumstances involving technical disruptions, publishing platform migration, institutional changes, or discontinuation of publication activities.

Where journal operations are interrupted, the publisher will undertake appropriate measures to restore access through available backups, repositories, or preservation services.

If the journal permanently ceases publication, the publisher should make reasonable arrangements for the continued preservation and accessibility of its published scholarly record through an established preservation service or another appropriate archival institution.

Access to externally preserved content will follow the terms, technical capabilities, and release procedures of the relevant preservation service.

6. Preservation of the Scholarly Record

The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity and authenticity of its published scholarly record.

Published articles should remain part of the archival record even when corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions are issued.

Corrections and retraction notices must be clearly identified and linked to the relevant original articles, in accordance with the journal's Corrections and Retractions Policy.

The journal does not support the undisclosed alteration or removal of published scholarly content. Any necessary changes to the publication record must be documented transparently and follow established editorial procedures.

7. Responsibilities and Policy Review

The publisher, in coordination with the editorial team and technical administrators, is responsible for implementing and maintaining appropriate digital archiving and preservation arrangements.

These responsibilities include maintaining published content, managing backup and recovery procedures, ensuring the accuracy of publication metadata, and coordinating with institutional repositories or third-party preservation services where applicable.

The journal will periodically review its digital preservation arrangements to ensure their continued relevance, reliability, and alignment with recognized scholarly publishing practices.

This policy demonstrates the journal's commitment to preserving scholarly knowledge, maintaining the integrity of published research, and supporting sustainable access to scientific publications.