Archiving Policy

1. Introduction

Biology and Biotechnology Communications (BBC) is committed to ensuring the long-term preservation and accessibility of its published content. This Archiving Policy outlines the measures taken to ensure that articles published in BBC are archived in digital repositories and made accessible for future reference.

2. Digital Archiving

To ensure the longevity and accessibility of the journal’s content, all published articles will be archived in reputable digital repositories and long-term preservation systems. These include:

  • LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe): A distributed digital preservation system that ensures redundancy and long-term availability of content.
  • Internet Archive: A widely respected repository that ensures digital content remains accessible over time.
  • PubMed Central: For articles related to the biomedical field, PubMed Central is a platform that ensures global visibility and long-term preservation.
  • DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals): A global platform for open-access journals, ensuring the visibility and discoverability of all articles published in BBC.
  • Institutional Repositories: BBC will deposit articles in institutional repositories as necessary, in line with institutional or funder requirements.

3. Backup and Redundancy

BBC ensures that all published articles are backed up regularly to prevent data loss. These backups are stored securely in multiple locations to provide redundancy and ensure long-term access to the journal’s content, even in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Backup files are updated regularly to reflect newly published content.

4. Long-Term Availability

All articles published in BBC will remain freely accessible for the long term. If the journal discontinues, all published content will continue to be available through the digital archives and repositories mentioned above, ensuring that the articles remain accessible for readers and researchers worldwide.

5. Metadata Preservation

BBC ensures that the metadata associated with each published article, including author names, article titles, abstracts, keywords, and citations, is preserved in global metadata repositories. This ensures proper indexing and discovery of content through search engines and academic databases, further increasing the visibility of the journal’s articles.

6. File Formats

BBC provides articles in widely accepted and sustainable file formats to ensure long-term accessibility. These include:

  • PDF for the final published version of articles.
  • XML for metadata preservation and interoperability with different platforms.
  • HTML for online access and web-based viewing.

These formats are compatible with current and future digital systems, ensuring ongoing access across various platforms and devices.

7. Withdrawal and Retraction

In the event that an article needs to be withdrawn or retracted (due to ethical issues, plagiarism, data manipulation, etc.), BBC ensures that a clear and visible retraction or withdrawal notice is added to the archived version of the article. The article will remain available, but the retraction or withdrawal notice will be clearly visible to maintain transparency.

  • Retraction Notices: These notices will include the reason for retraction and will remain linked to the original article.
  • Correction Notices: If corrections are needed to address minor issues, such as typographical errors or citation mistakes, a correction notice will be issued, and the revised version will be made available.

8. Licensing and Copyright

All articles published in BBC are made available under an open-access license, typically a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license unless otherwise specified. This ensures that readers can freely access, share, and use the articles, while properly attributing the authors and the journal.

  • Copyright: Authors retain copyright over their work, but they grant BBC the right to archive and distribute their articles in digital repositories to ensure long-term availability and access.

9. Archiving Rights

BBC reserves the right to archive its content in additional platforms, repositories, or digital systems as necessary to ensure continued access and discoverability. Authors will be informed of any significant changes to archiving procedures.

10. Institutional and Ethical Oversight

In cases where ethical concerns arise, such as plagiarism or data manipulation, BBC will collaborate with the author’s institution to investigate the issue. If the article is retracted, the retraction notice will be archived alongside the original article to ensure that the reasons for retraction are transparent and publicly available.

11. Policy Review

This Archiving Policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure that it aligns with the best practices in academic publishing and digital preservation. Any updates or significant changes to this policy will be communicated to authors, reviewers, and stakeholders in a timely manner.