Repository Policy | Archives of Surgery and Clinical Research

Overview & Principles

ASCR publishes articles as open access and encourages responsible sharing of all versions—preprints, author accepted manuscripts (AAMs), and the publisher’s version of record (VoR). Authors retain copyright in their work and grant the public a permissive license to reuse the content with attribution. Because the VoR is the definitive citable version, we ask depositors to link clearly to the article DOI and to label any earlier versions so readers can identify differences.

Key benefits of repository deposit

Improves discoverability and compliance with funder and institutional mandates.
Enables long-term preservation and text/data mining.
Supports open science practices by connecting publications to underlying data, code, and protocols.

What You May Deposit

ASCR permits deposit of the following versions in repositories and personal or lab websites. Unless a third party holds rights in specific elements (see below), no embargo applies.

Version	Definition	May deposit?	Required notes
Preprint	Manuscript version prior to journal peer review.	Yes	Include a statement that the work has not undergone peer review. When the VoR is published, add the citation and DOI link.
AAM (Author Accepted Manuscript)	Final author version after peer review, before typesetting.	Yes	Label clearly as “Author accepted manuscript”. Add the journal citation, DOI, and license notice.
VoR (Publisher PDF)	Final typeset journal PDF with pagination and branding.	Yes	Deposit the published PDF with the full citation, DOI, and license; do not remove branding or credit lines.

Third-party content: Items such as images, tables, or datasets reproduced from other sources may carry different licenses or permissions. Credit lines and license notices must remain intact in all deposited versions.

Where You May Deposit

Institutional repositories (university or hospital libraries)
Subject repositories (e.g., appropriate clinical or surgical repositories; if eligible, deposit to PubMed Central per funder rules)
General-purpose repositories for scholarly works
Personal or lab websites under your control
Research information systems (departmental pages, CV portals) that host or mirror the file

Where a repository supports persistent identifiers (PIDs), we encourage creating a local record with its own handle/URL in addition to the canonical article DOI. The repository record should always link back to the VoR using the DOI in https://doi.org/… format.

Licensing & Attribution

ASCR articles are published open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. This license permits sharing and adaptation for any lawful purpose, including commercial reuse, provided appropriate credit is given and changes are indicated. When depositing any version, include the exact license text or link and a clear attribution statement.

Include this notice with your deposit

“© The Author(s) [year]. This work is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Please cite the version of record: [Full journal citation with DOI].”

If your manuscript contains third-party materials not covered by CC BY (e.g., an image reproduced with permission), keep the original credit lines, which may restrict reuse in repositories.

How to Deposit: Step-by-Step

Choose the version: Preprint, AAM, or VoR. If the VoR is available, deposit the VoR to avoid version confusion.
Prepare the file: Ensure that figure legends, tables, and supplementary information are included or uploaded as separate files. Keep credit lines intact.
Create the repository record: Complete the metadata fields (see the mapping below). Use the DOI URL in the Identifier field and add the CC BY 4.0 license link.
Add related PIDs: Include ORCID iDs for all authors; add DOIs for datasets, software, or protocols that support the article.
Post-deposit check: Open the public record to verify that the file downloads correctly, the DOI link resolves, and the license badge displays.
Update when published or corrected: If you deposited a preprint or AAM, add the VoR citation and link once available. If the article is corrected or retracted, update the repository record (see below).

Recommended metadata mapping (typical Dublin Core)

Field	Example content
dc.title	Outcomes after laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy in elderly patients
dc.creator	Lee, A. (ORCID: 0000-0002-1825-0097); Kumar, R.; Silva, M.
dc.date.issued	2025-06-15
dc.identifier.doi	https://doi.org/10.xxxx/ascr.xxxx
dc.identifier.citation	Archives of Surgery and Clinical Research, 9(2), e123–e131
dc.publisher	Heighten Science Publications Inc.
dc.source	Archives of Surgery and Clinical Research (ISSN 2576-9537)
dc.rights	© The Author(s) 2025. CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
dc.type	Text; Journal article; Version of record / Author accepted manuscript
dc.description.abstract	Structured abstract (Background/Methods/Results/Conclusions)
dc.relation.isversionof	Link to other versions (e.g., preprint DOI)
dc.relation.haspart	Links to datasets, code, or supplementary files
dc.funder / funding	Grant numbers and funder names (e.g., NIH R01…)
dc.language	en

Embargoes

No embargo applies to deposit of the VoR, AAM, or preprint. If a repository imposes its own waiting period, we recommend depositing immediately and setting the record to go public automatically when the repository allows, while still ensuring that the DOI, citation, and license are present in the metadata.

Maintaining Integrity of the Scholarly Record

ASCR assigns DOIs to all articles and issues notices (corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern) that are citable and linked to the affected work. Repository managers and authors should update repository records to reflect such changes.

When a correction is issued

Add a note to the repository record indicating “Corrected on [date]”.
Link to the correction notice DOI and the updated VoR.
Where possible, keep the original file with a visible notice or replace the PDF with the corrected VoR while preserving the record’s history.

When a retraction is issued

Do not remove the record unless legally required; add a prominent note that the article is retracted.
Link to the retraction notice DOI and retain the article metadata for transparency.
If your repository allows, replace the PDF with a watermarked version indicating retraction and linking to the notice.

Text and Data Mining (TDM)

Under CC BY 4.0, nonexclusive rights for text and data mining of ASCR articles are granted, provided attribution is preserved and any content outside CC BY (e.g., third-party images) is respected. We encourage repositories and discovery services to expose machine-readable license, rights, and identifier fields to facilitate lawful TDM.

Interoperability & Harvesting

For repository operators: use OAI-PMH (Dublin Core oai_dc) or equivalent APIs to expose records for harvesting by indexers and aggregators. Ensure that the DOI (dc.identifier), license (dc.rights), and version (dc.type) appear in the feed. Where supported, add relationships (e.g., isVersionOf, hasVersion, isReplacedBy) so harvesters can reconcile versions across repositories and the journal site.

Checklist for repository managers

Expose OAI-PMH endpoints or a sitemap that includes persistent URLs for items.
Embed DOI and license links in machine-readable form.
Allow authors to edit records to add the VoR citation when available.
Include ORCID identifiers using recognized metadata fields.
Support updates for corrections/retractions with reciprocal links.

Responsibilities

Authors

Deposit the VoR whenever possible and link to the DOI.
Label preprints and AAMs clearly and update them with the VoR citation on publication.
Retain and preserve data and images; respect third-party rights and credit lines.
Use accurate metadata and ORCID identifiers.

Repositories & Libraries

Enable discovery via PIDs and expose records for harvesting.
Display license and rights statements prominently.
Provide mechanisms to flag and update records for corrections or retractions.
Respect privacy and legal constraints when handling takedown requests.

Practical Examples

Example: Department repository deposit

You have an accepted manuscript and expect the typeset PDF in two weeks. Deposit the AAM now, label it clearly, and include the license and provisional citation. Once the VoR DOI is assigned, edit the record to add the DOI link and a note: “This AAM corresponds to the version of record at [DOI URL].”

Example: Depositing the VoR PDF

After publication, upload the publisher PDF to your institutional repository with the full citation, DOI, and CC BY notice. Keep the journal branding and credit lines intact. If your repository requires a separate “publisher statement,” paste the attribution text from this page.

Example: Updating after a correction

Six months after deposit, the journal issues a correction to a figure label. Update your repository record with a note and link to the correction DOI. If your system allows, replace the PDF with the corrected VoR to minimize confusion.

Frequently Asked Questions

May I post the final published PDF on my website and in a repository?

Yes. The VoR PDF may be shared in repositories and personal sites with the citation, DOI, and CC BY 4.0 notice. Keep all journal credit lines intact.

Is there any embargo period for the AAM or VoR?

No. Deposits may be made immediately upon acceptance (AAM) and publication (VoR).

What if my funder requires deposit to a specific repository?

You may comply by depositing the AAM or VoR as required. Include grant numbers and funder names in the metadata to streamline compliance checks.

Can I license my AAM under a different Creative Commons license?

We recommend applying the same CC BY 4.0 license as the VoR for clarity. If a funder mandates a different license for the AAM, ensure that the repository record states both the AAM’s license and the VoR’s CC BY 4.0.

Are there restrictions on posting to academic social networks?

Under CC BY 4.0, sharing is permitted provided attribution and links to the DOI are included and any third-party restrictions are respected. Always prefer a stable repository in addition to social platforms.

How do I handle third-party figures under restricted licenses?

Retain the original credit lines and abide by any restrictions (e.g., “no further redistribution”). If needed, upload the article PDF while omitting the restricted figure in a supplemental repository copy and link to the VoR for the complete record.

Contact

For questions on deposit permissions, metadata, or repository interoperability, contact: [email protected] (general) or [email protected] (publication record updates).