Purpose and Scope
Publishing content creates a continuing obligation to keep it findable, citable, identifiable and readable over time. This policy establishes the infrastructure responsibilities LMI bears as publisher for every article published by journals operating under the LMI publishing framework, and the Level 1 definitions of the scholarly-record vocabulary used throughout this framework.
Version of Record
The Version of Record is the version of an article that the journal has formally published as final and citable, bearing its persistent identifier, publication date, licence and complete metadata, made publicly available by the journal.
The Version of Record comes into existence when the journal first publishes the article in that final form. Where a journal publishes online-first, the online-first article is the Version of Record from the moment of its publication; later assignment to a volume, issue or pagination updates its metadata but does not create a new Version of Record and does not displace the original publication date for citation or precedence purposes. Assignment to a paginated issue is therefore never a condition of an article having a Version of Record.
The Version of Record is permanent in the sense that it is not silently replaced. Substantive alteration after publication occurs only through the mechanisms in G2, each of which is disclosed to readers; production corrections that do not alter meaning may be applied under G2’s provisions for such corrections. Where an article is amended under G2, the amended article, together with its linked notice, constitutes the current scholarly record for that work, and the amendment history remains discoverable. Author-generated versions — submitted manuscripts, accepted manuscripts and preprints — are not the Version of Record. Where such versions exist in repositories or preprint servers, they should identify and link to the Version of Record so that readers can reach the published article and any subsequent notices (F1, C2).
Persistent Identifiers
LMI shall ensure that published scholarly content receives an appropriate persistent identifier — ordinarily a DOI registered with a recognised registration agency — and shall maintain the registration for as long as the content forms part of the scholarly record. LMI shall ensure that: identifiers resolve reliably to the content or, where content has been removed under G2, to a status page; deposited identifier metadata is accurate at registration and updated when it changes, including after any record action under G2; an identifier is never reassigned to different or unrelated content; and identifiers assigned to superseded or withdrawn material continue to resolve to an accurate statement of status rather than failing silently. The persistent-identifier prefixes and registration arrangements in use are operational particulars recorded outside this policy. Persistent identifiers for authors (ORCID, per C1) and for datasets and code (E2) shall be carried in article metadata where supplied.
Metadata Integrity
Accurate metadata is the mechanism by which the scholarly record is discovered, cited and understood. For each published article, LMI and the publishing journal shall register and maintain metadata including: title and abstract; author names in citable form, with affiliations and persistent identifiers where supplied; publication, acceptance and, where recorded, submission dates; journal identity, volume, issue and pagination where applicable; article type; licence and rights information (F1); funding information (E1); competing-interest information where the metadata standard supports it; references; links to related objects including datasets, code, protocols and trial registrations (E2, D3); and links to any correction, Expression of Concern, retraction or removal notice (G2).
Metadata errors shall be corrected on discovery and the correction propagated, so far as is reasonably possible, to the registration agency, indexing and abstracting services, preservation archives and discovery systems that hold the record. Where a metadata error materially affects attribution or citation — for example a misspelled author name, an omitted author or an incorrect date — the correction shall also be made visible to readers under G2.
Status Signalling
Readers shall be able to determine, from the article as they encounter it, whether it has been amended and how. LMI shall maintain reader-facing status signalling — through prominent notices on the article page, updated metadata, and, where LMI uses Crossmark or equivalent infrastructure, through that service — so that a reader arriving at any copy under LMI’s control can identify the article’s current status and reach any associated notice. Status infrastructure records what has happened to an article; it does not assess or certify the reliability of the research, and the absence of a status flag shall not be represented as an assurance of validity.
Accessible and Usable Publication Formats
LMI and its journals shall publish scholarly content in formats designed to be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust across common browsers and assistive technologies. Reasonable and proportionate measures shall include semantic heading structure, selectable and searchable text, meaningful link text, accessible tables, alternative text or equivalent descriptions for informative figures where feasible, readable contrast, keyboard-operable interfaces, and accessible metadata and licence/status information. Current web and document accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.2, shall inform implementation, while journal-level procedures may define article-format and production details.
Digital Preservation
LMI shall maintain reasonable and proportionate preservation arrangements designed to keep published content accessible independently of the continued operation of any single platform, organisation or vendor. Those arrangements shall include deposit with at least one recognised preservation service or archive, together with redundant publisher-controlled or independent copies appropriate to the scale and risk of the programme; durable, openly documented formats and migration as formats age; and preservation of the complete published object, including supplementary files, figures and any correction, Expression of Concern or retraction notice, so that preserved copies do not perpetuate superseded content without its status. Recognised arrangements such as LOCKSS, CLOCKSS and the PKP Preservation Network are examples; LMI shall record its current arrangements outside this policy and review them periodically under H2.
Backup, Integrity Checking and Disaster Recovery
Preservation is distinct from ordinary backup, and both are required. LMI shall maintain proportionate operational backups of platform data, published files, configurations and metadata, including at least one logically or geographically separated copy; test restoration and integrity at reasonable intervals; restrict and monitor privileged access; and maintain a documented response for hosting failure, cyber incident, domain loss or data corruption. A temporary technical outage shall not alter article status or persistent-identifier metadata, and recovery shall prioritise the scholarly record and its notices.
Truthful Preservation Claims
LMI and its journals shall describe only preservation services and arrangements that are active and independently verifiable. Installation of a plugin, intention to participate, local backup alone, or submission of an application shall not be described as completed preservation. Public preservation statements shall be reviewed when providers, platform or coverage change.
Continuity on Change, Transfer or Closure
A change in ownership, title, platform or publication status shall not be allowed to cause avoidable loss of access to the scholarly record. Where a journal changes title, merges, transfers to a different publisher or owner, migrates platform, or ceases publication, LMI shall take reasonable and proportionate continuity measures before the change takes effect: continued hosting, transfer to a successor committed to maintaining access, or reliance on preservation arrangements; maintenance of persistent-identifier resolution with updated registration metadata; and clear information to readers about the change and the location of content. Where practicable, retired URLs shall redirect to current locations.
Third-Party Repositories
LMI maintains links and metadata connecting articles to datasets, code and materials held elsewhere (E2). LMI is responsible for the accuracy and maintenance of those links within its own systems; it does not control, and does not warrant, the permanence or availability of third-party repositories. Where a linked resource becomes unavailable and LMI becomes aware, it shall record the position rather than leave a broken assertion of availability standing.
Reciprocal Duty on Distributed Copies
Where LMI supplies copies of articles for commercial reprint or licensed distribution (F3), the infrastructure obligations above extend to ensuring that current status is discoverable: supplied copies shall reflect the article’s status at the time of supply, and where an article is subsequently amended under G2, LMI shall notify the recipient and cease supplying superseded copies.
Standards and Guidance
Informed by Crossref registration and metadata practice, the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing on archiving and persistent identifiers, recognised digital-preservation practice, and W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.