Archiving and Deposit Policy

The journal is committed to ensuring the long-term preservation, accessibility, integrity, and discoverability of all published scholarly works. This policy establishes detailed provisions regarding archiving, preservation systems, repository deposit, and version control of published content.
 
The journal follows international standards for open access publishing and preservation, in line with the principles of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), as well as established best practices in scholarly communication and digital preservation.

1. Long-Term Digital Preservation Commitment

The journal guarantees that all published content will be preserved indefinitely in digital form. Preservation measures are designed to ensure:

  • Continuous access to published articles regardless of platform changes;
  • Protection against data loss, system failure, or organizational transition;
  • Maintenance of the integrity and authenticity of the scholarly record;
  • Stable access for citation, indexing, and academic reuse.

All published articles are considered part of the permanent scholarly record and will not be removed from public access except under exceptional ethical or legal circumstances.

2. Official Journal Archiving System

The journal maintains its own secure digital archiving infrastructure, which includes:

  • Redundant server storage systems;
  • Scheduled automated backups (daily, weekly, and monthly cycles);
  • Secure off-site backup storage to prevent catastrophic data loss;
  • Metadata preservation for all published content;
  • DOI (Digital Object Identifier) assignment (if applicable) to ensure persistent linking.

Each article is stored in multiple formats (e.g., PDF, XML/HTML where available) to ensure future accessibility and interoperability.

3. Repository Deposit Policy

To enhance accessibility and scholarly dissemination, the journal actively supports deposit of published works in trusted repositories.

3.1 Permitted Repositories

Authors are encouraged to deposit their work in:

  • Institutional repositories (universities, research institutions);
  • Subject-based repositories (law, criminology, justice, etc.);
  • National and international open access repositories;
  • Academic networking platforms that support scholarly archiving.

3.2 Conditions for Deposit

When depositing articles, authors must:

  • Clearly cite the original publication in the journal;
  • Provide a link to the Version of Record (VoR);
  • Respect embargo periods if specified by the journal (if any);
  • Indicate the version being deposited (preprint, accepted manuscript, or published version).

4. Self-Archiving (Green Open Access)

The journal permits self-archiving under the following conditions:

4.1 Preprint Version

Authors may deposit the submitted version before peer review without restriction, provided it is clearly labeled as a preprint.

4.2 Accepted Manuscript (Postprint)

Authors may archive the peer-reviewed, accepted manuscript version, provided:

  • It includes acknowledgment of journal acceptance;
  • It contains a citation to the published version;
  • It is not formatted as the final published PDF unless permitted.

4.3 Published Version (Version of Record)

The final published version may be archived depending on the applicable license (e.g., Creative Commons Attribution License), with mandatory citation to the journal.

5. Version Control and Article Integrity

To maintain transparency and academic integrity, the journal recognizes three primary versions of each manuscript:

5.1 Preprint (Submitted Version)

  • Initial manuscript submitted by authors;
  • Not peer-reviewed;
  • May undergo substantial revisions.

5.2 Accepted Manuscript (Post-Peer Review)

  • Version accepted after peer review;
  • Includes revisions based on reviewer and editor feedback;
  • Not yet copyedited or formatted.

5.3 Version of Record (Published Version)

  • Final, citable, and authoritative version;
  • Fully edited, formatted, and published by the journal;
  • Assigned DOI or permanent identifier.

Any corrections, updates, or retractions will be clearly linked to the Version of Record.

6. Correction, Retraction, and Preservation of Record

The journal ensures that the scholarly record is preserved even in cases of post-publication changes:

  • Corrections (Errata/Corrigenda): Linked to the original article without altering the record;
  • Retractions: The original article remains accessible but is clearly marked as retracted;
  • Expressions of Concern: Added when investigations are ongoing.

Under no circumstances will published content be permanently removed, except where legally required (e.g., court order or serious ethical/legal violation).

7. Indexing and Metadata Preservation

To ensure long-term discoverability, the journal maintains structured metadata for all published articles, including:

  • Author details and affiliations;
  • Abstract and keywords;
  • References and citation data;
  • Publication dates and version history.

Metadata is systematically deposited in indexing services and academic databases to support:

  • Citation tracking;
  • Academic discoverability;
  • Cross-referencing in global research systems.

8. Interoperability and Standards Compliance

The journal adopts standardized formats and protocols for digital preservation, which may include:

  • DOI registration systems (where applicable);
  • Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH);
  • Standard bibliographic metadata formats (e.g., Dublin Core or equivalent);
  • Machine-readable formats to support indexing and repository integration.

9. Data Preservation and Supporting Materials

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to:

  • Deposit datasets in trusted data repositories;
  • Provide supplementary materials (e.g., appendices, code, tables);
  • Ensure long-term accessibility of research materials supporting published findings.

The journal may host supplementary materials or link to external repositories.

10. Access Continuity and System Resilience

The journal ensures continuous access through:

  • Website redundancy and uptime monitoring;
  • Regular system maintenance and updates;
  • Disaster recovery planning;
  • Migration strategies for future platform upgrades.

These measures ensure uninterrupted access to all published content.

11. Embargo Policy (If Applicable)

If an embargo period is applied:

  • Authors may self-archive accepted manuscripts only after the embargo period expires;
  • Embargo duration (if any) will be clearly stated in the journal’s policy updates;
  • The Version of Record remains accessible through the journal platform at all times.

12. Rights and Licensing Compatibility

Archiving and deposit practices are governed by the journal’s Copyrights and Licensing Policy. Under open licenses (such as Creative Commons Attribution), authors and readers are generally permitted to:

  • Share and redistribute published content;
  • Store articles in repositories;
  • Use content for academic and research purposes with proper attribution.

13. Policy Review and Updates

This policy is periodically reviewed to ensure compliance with evolving international standards, technological developments, and indexing requirements. Updates will be published transparently on the journal’s official website.

14. Final Statement

By publishing in the Journal, authors agree that their work will be permanently archived, preserved, and made accessible in accordance with this policy. The journal is committed to ensuring the long-term availability, integrity, and scholarly impact of all published research in criminal law and criminal justice studies.