Preservation Policy

1. Items will be retained for at least 10 years from the date of deposition.
2. White Rose Research Online 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.
   • It may not be possible to guarantee the readability of some unusual file formats.
3. White Rose Research Online is working with external partners to:
   • convert or migrate file formats
   • develop and implement software emulations for old file formats
   • record preservation metadata
   • backup items in external archives
4. White Rose Research Online regularly backs up its files according to current best practice.
5. The original bit stream is retained for all items, in addition to any upgraded formats.
6. Items may be removed at the request of the author/copyright holder, but this is strongly discouraged.
7. Acceptable reasons for withdrawal include:
   • Journal publishers' rules
   • Proven copyright violation or plagiarism
   • Legal requirements and proven violations
   • National Security
   • Falsified research
8. Withdrawn items are not deleted per se, but are removed from public view.
9. Withdrawn items' identifiers/URLs are retained transiently.
10. 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
11. The metadata of withdrawn items will not be searchable.
12. Changes to deposited items are not permitted.
13. Errata and corrigenda lists may be included with the original record if required.
14. If necessary, an updated version may be deposited.
    • There will be links between earlier and later versions, with the most recent version clearly identified.
15. In the event of White Rose Research Online being closed down, the database will be transferred to another appropriate archive.