Archiving & Digital Preservation Policy

Archiving & Digital Preservation Policy

The Yemeni Journal of Life Sciences is committed to ensuring the long-term preservation, accessibility, and integrity of all published content. The journal implements recognized digital preservation practices and multiple archiving mechanisms to guarantee that scholarly articles remain permanently available to readers worldwide.

1. Digital Preservation Strategy

The journal maintains a comprehensive digital preservation strategy that includes:

  • Long-term storage of all published articles
  • Regular backups of the journal website and database
  • Preservation of both PDF and HTML versions of articles
  • Redundant copies stored across multiple secure servers

This multi-layered approach ensures continuous access to content, even in the event of technical failures or system disruptions.

2. PKP Preservation Network (PKP PLN)

The journal supports and is compatible with the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PLN), which provides:

  • Free and automated digital archiving
  • Redundant, distributed server storage
  • Protection against data loss, corruption, or server failure

PKP PLN is designed to ensure the long-term preservation of content published using the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

3. LOCKSS and CLOCKSS Compatibility

The journal supports compatibility with recognized distributed preservation systems, including:

  • LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe)
  • CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS)

These systems enable participating libraries to preserve authoritative copies of published content in secure, distributed archives.

4. Institutional and Subject Repositories

Authors are encouraged to deposit their published articles in:

  • Institutional repositories
  • National repositories
  • Discipline-specific repositories

Examples include: PubMed Central (if applicable and subject to eligibility), Zenodo, OSF, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, and university digital libraries.
There is no embargo period for self-archiving.

5. Indexing Services and Metadata Preservation

The journal deposits and maintains article metadata in multiple indexing and discovery platforms to ensure long-term visibility and retrievability, including:

This ensures the preservation of both article files and associated metadata.

6. Website and Server Backups

The journal performs routine website and server backups that include:

  • Full database backups
  • Article files (PDFs, images, and supplementary materials)
  • Website themes, configurations, and system settings

Backups are securely stored in multiple locations to minimize the risk of data loss.

7. Permanent Identifiers (DOI)

Each published article is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) through Crossref (after completion of the registration process).
The DOI ensures:

  • Permanent and stable URLs
  • Long-term content retrievability
  • Reliable citation tracking

Even if the journal website changes domain or structure, the DOI will always resolve to the authoritative article record.

 

8. Format Migration

To ensure future accessibility, the journal commits to:

  • Monitoring potential file format obsolescence
  • Migrating content to newer archival formats when necessary (e.g., PDF/A)
  • Maintaining compatibility with internationally recognized archival standards

9. Removal or Retraction

Retracted articles are:

  • Preserved permanently within the journal archive
  • Clearly marked as “Retracted”
  • Accompanied by an official retraction notice

Published content is never deleted, in order to maintain the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record.

10. Open Access and Long-Term Availability

All published articles remain freely accessible without time limitation.
The journal guarantees:

  • Continuous open access
  • No subscription or access fees
  • No technical or financial barriers to readership

Long-term digital preservation ensures permanent availability to researchers, students, and the wider scientific community.

11. Responsibility

The Publisher and the Editorial Office are responsible for implementing, maintaining, and periodically reviewing the journal’s archiving and digital preservation practices in accordance with international standards.