Repository Policies

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.

Data Policy

for full-text and other full data items
  1. Anyone may access full items free of charge.
  2. Single copies of full items can be:
    • reproduced, and displayed or performed in any format or medium
    • for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge.
  3. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without formal permission of the copyright holders.

Content Policy

for types of document & data set held
  1. This is an institutional or departmental repository.
  2. Subject Specialities:
    • Multidisciplinary
    • Science General
    • Computers and IT
  3. ePIC holds all types of materials.
  4. Deposited items may include published versions (publisher-created files)
  5. Items are individually tagged with:
    • their peer-review status.
    • their publication status.

Submission Policy

concerning depositors, quality & copyright
  1. Items may only be deposited by accredited members of the organisation, or their delegated agents.
  2. Authors may only submit their own work for archiving.
  3. The administrator only vets items for the eligibility of authors/depositors, relevance to the scope of ePIC, valid layout & format, and the exclusion of spam
  4. The validity and authenticity of the content of submissions is the sole responsibility of the depositor.
  5. Items can be deposited at any time, but will not be made publicly visible until any publishers' or funders' embargo period has expired.
  6. Any copyright violations are entirely the responsibility of the authors/depositors.
  7. If ePIC receives proof of copyright violation, the relevant item will be removed immediately.
  8. Sensitive content that may violate control regulations must be carefully considered and coordinated before being made publicly visible. ePIC reserves the right to remove any content that violates legal obligations.

Preservation Policy

  1. Items will be retained indefinitely.
  2. ePIC will try to ensure continued readability and accessibility.
    • Items will be migrated to new file formats where necessary.
    • Where possible, software emulations will be provided to access un-migrated formats.
  3. ePIC regularly backs up its files according to current best practice.
  4. The original bit stream is retained for all items, in addition to any upgraded formats.
  5. Items may not normally be removed from ePIC.
  6. Acceptable reasons for withdrawal include:
    • Proven copyright violation or plagiarism
    • Legal requirements and proven violations
    • National Security
    • Falsified research
  7. Withdrawn items are not deleted per se, but are removed from public view.
  8. Withdrawn items' identifiers/URLs are retained indefinitely.
  9. URLs will continue to point to 'tombstone' citations, to avoid broken links and to retain item histories.
  10. Changes to deposited items are not permitted.
  11. Errata and corrigenda lists may be included with the original record if required.
  12. If necessary, an updated version may be deposited.
  13. In the event of ePIC being closed down, the database will be transferred to another appropriate archive.