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.
  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. 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. LJMU Research Online holds all types of materials.
  3. 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 exclusion of spam
  4. The validity and authenticity of the content of submissions is the sole responsibility of the depositor.
  5. Items may not be deposited until any publishers' or funders' embargo period has expired.
  6. Any copyright violations are entirely the responsibility of the authors/depositors.
  7. If LJMU Research Online receives proof of copyright violation, the relevant item will be removed immediately.

Preservation Policy

  1. Items will be retained indefinitely.
  2. LJMU Research Online will try to ensure continued readability and accessibility.
  3. LJMU Research Online regularly backs up its files according to current best practice.
  4. Items may not normally be removed from LJMU Research Online.
  5. Acceptable reasons for withdrawal include:
    • 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 Withdrawn items are not deleted per se, but are removed from public view.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 Withdrawn items' identifiers/URLs are retained indefinitely.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.
  9. Changes to deposited items are not permitted.
  10. If necessary, an updated version may be deposited.
  11. In the event of LJMU Research Online being closed down, the database will be transferred to another appropriate archive.

Notice and Takedown

If you are a rights holder and are concerned that you have found material in LJMU Research Online which infringes UK law, please contact us by emailing researchonline@ljmu.ac.uk, stating the following:

  1. Your contact details and the reason for the withdrawal request
  2. The full bibliographic details of the material and the full URL.
  3. Proof that you are the rights holder or are an authorised representative.

Upon receipt of notification the ‘Notice and Takedown’ procedure is then invoked as follows:

  1. LJMU will acknowledge receipt of your complaint by email or letter and will make an initial assessment of the validity and plausibility of the complaint. We aim to acknowledge and assess the complaint within seven days of receipt.
  2. Where grounds for complaint are plausible, the material will be temporarily removed from public view in LJMU Research Online pending an agreed solution.
  3. LJMU will contact the contributor who deposited the material, if relevant. The contributor will be notified that the material is subject to a complaint, under what allegations, and will be encouraged to assuage the complaints concerned.
  4. The complainant and the contributor will be encouraged to resolve the issue swiftly and amicably and to the satisfaction of both parties, with the following possible outcomes:
    • The material is replaced on LJMU Research Online unchanged.
    • The material is replaced on LJMU Research Online with changes.
    • The material is permanently removed from LJMU Research Online.
    • In some cases a metadata record will remain. This will be on a case by case basis.
  5. If the contributor and the complainant are unable to agree a solution from receipt of notification, the material will remain unavailable through LJMU Research Online until a time when a resolution has been reached. It may be necessary for us to seek legal advice before the complaint can be fully resolved.