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
    • Keele Research Repository 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. Access to some or all full items is controlled.
  2. All full items are individually tagged with differing rights permissions and conditions.

Content Policy

for types of document & data set held
  1. This is an institutional or departmental repository.
  2. Keele Research Repository holds all types of materials.
  3. Keele Research Repository content may include offensive words, phrases and imagery, reflecting inequalities and attitudes of the time. The use of such language is not condoned by the University, but we are committed to providing access to our historical research output and our approach is to avoid censorship of content.
  4. Deposited items may include:
    • accepted versions (author's final peer-reviewed drafts)
    • published versions (publisher-created files)
  5. Items are individually tagged with:
    • their version type and date.
    • their peer-review status.
    • their publication status.
  6. Principal Languages: English

Submission Policy

concerning depositors, quality & copyright
  1. Items may only be deposited by accredited members 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. The administrator only vets items for the eligibility of authors/depositors
  5. The validity and authenticity of the content of submissions is the sole responsibility of the depositor.
  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 Keele Research Repository receives proof of copyright violation, the relevant item will be removed immediately.

Preservation Policy

  1. Items will be retained indefinitely.
  2. Keele Research Repository will try to ensure continued readability and accessibility.
    • It may not be possible to guarantee the readability of some unusual file formats.
  3. Keele Research Repository regularly backs up its files according to current best practice.
  4. Items may be removed at the request of the author/copyright holder, but this is strongly discouraged.
  5. Acceptable reasons for withdrawal include:
    • Journal publishers' rules
    • Proven copyright violation or plagiarism
    • Legal requirements and proven violations
    • National Security
    • Falsified research
  6. Withdrawn items are not deleted per se, but are removed from public view.
  7. Withdrawn items' identifiers/URLs are retained indefinitely.
  8. 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
    • a note explaining the reasons for withdrawal
  9. If necessary, an updated version may be deposited.
    • There will be links between earlier and later versions, with the most recent version clearly identified.
  10. No closure policy defined.