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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.

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.

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

  1. Choose the version: Preprint, AAM, or VoR. If the VoR is available, deposit the VoR to avoid version confusion.
  2. Prepare the file: Ensure that figure legends, tables, and supplementary information are included or uploaded as separate files. Keep credit lines intact.
  3. 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.
  4. Add related PIDs: Include ORCID iDs for all authors; add DOIs for datasets, software, or protocols that support the article.
  5. Post-deposit check: Open the public record to verify that the file downloads correctly, the DOI link resolves, and the license badge displays.
  6. 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).

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.

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.

Responsibilities

Practical Examples

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: support@clinsurgeryjournal.com (general) or editorial@clinsurgeryjournal.com (publication record updates).