14.1 Purpose
This policy establishes the principles governing metadata creation, management, dissemination, and preservation. It should be read together with the Open Access Policy, Digital Preservation Policy, Self-Archiving Policy, Copyright and Licensing Policy, and other relevant publisher policies.
14.2 Scope
Every publication issued by Rupkatha Books is accompanied by structured metadata describing its intellectual, bibliographic, legal, technical, and preservation characteristics.
Metadata may include:
- title and subtitle;
- author(s), editor(s), translator(s), and contributors;
- institutional affiliations;
- ORCID iDs and other persistent identifiers;
- abstracts and keywords;
- subject classifications;
- publication and revision dates;
- language and edition information;
- ISBN and DOI;
- copyright and licensing information;
- funding and grant information;
- accessibility features;
- preservation metadata; and
- other descriptive or technical information necessary for scholarly discovery and interoperability.
Metadata are maintained throughout the publication lifecycle and updated whenever appropriate.
14.3 Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)
Rupkatha Books assigns Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to eligible publications to provide permanent, globally unique, and persistent identification.
DOIs support:
- stable citation;
- persistent linking;
- scholarly interoperability;
- citation tracking;
- repository integration;
- semantic publishing; and
- long-term digital preservation.
Where appropriate, DOIs may be assigned to:
- complete books;
- individual chapters;
- revised editions;
- supplementary materials;
- multimedia resources;
- datasets; and
- other digital scholarly outputs.
Once assigned, a DOI remains permanently associated with the scholarly record, irrespective of changes to web addresses or publishing platforms.
14.4 International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs)
Every published edition receives an International Standard Book Number (ISBN).
Separate ISBNs may be assigned to different editions or digital formats, including:
- PDF;
- EPUB;
- enhanced digital editions;
- revised editions;
- translated editions; and
- future publication formats.
ISBNs facilitate international identification, cataloguing, library acquisition, distribution, and bibliographic control.
14.5 Metadata Standards
Rupkatha Books progressively adopts internationally recognised metadata standards to ensure interoperability across libraries, repositories, indexing services, research information systems, and digital publishing platforms.
These standards may include:
- ONIX for Books;
- Dublin Core;
- Crossref metadata;
- MARC records;
- Schema.org;
- accessibility metadata;
- preservation metadata; and
- other internationally recognised metadata frameworks as they evolve.
The publisher will continue to strengthen metadata quality through the adoption of emerging semantic and machine-readable standards.
14.6 Persistent Scholarly Identifiers
Rupkatha Books encourages the use of internationally recognised persistent identifiers, including:
- DOI for publications;
- ISBN for books;
- ORCID iD for researchers;
- ROR identifiers for research organisations;
- funder identifiers;
- grant identifiers; and
- other persistent identifier systems that become established within global scholarly infrastructure.
Persistent identifiers strengthen attribution, interoperability, transparency, and long-term discoverability.
14.7 Participation in Scholarly Infrastructure
Where appropriate, Rupkatha Books registers and disseminates publication metadata through recognised scholarly infrastructure and registration agencies.
Participation in international scholarly infrastructure supports:
- persistent citation linking;
- metadata harvesting;
- reference validation;
- research discovery;
- repository interoperability;
- citation analysis; and
- long-term preservation.
The publisher will continue expanding its participation in trusted international scholarly infrastructures as its publishing programme develops.
14.8 Subject Classification
To improve discoverability across disciplines and international information systems, publications may be classified using recognised subject vocabularies, including:
- BISAC;
- Thema;
- Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH);
- Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC); and
- discipline-specific classification systems where appropriate.
Consistent subject classification enhances indexing, retrieval, and interdisciplinary research discovery.
14.9 Metadata Quality and Author Responsibilities
Rupkatha Books is committed to maintaining accurate, complete, and consistent metadata.
Authors are expected to verify:
- names and affiliations;
- ORCID identifiers;
- titles and subtitles;
- abstracts;
- keywords;
- funding information;
- acknowledgements;
- references; and
- other publication metadata before publication.
Errors identified after publication should be reported promptly so that metadata may be corrected where appropriate.
14.10 Funding and Research Metadata
Where applicable, publication metadata may include:
- funding organisations;
- grant numbers;
- institutional sponsors;
- research projects;
- collaborative research initiatives; and
- funding acknowledgements.
Comprehensive funding metadata promotes transparency, facilitates compliance with funder requirements, and supports research evaluation.
14.11 Rights and Licensing Metadata
Every publication includes metadata describing its copyright and licensing status.
Where applicable, metadata records include:
- copyright holder information;
- Creative Commons licence details;
- rights statements;
- reuse permissions; and
- other licensing information relevant to scholarly dissemination.
Rights metadata enables repositories, libraries, search engines, AI systems, and readers to understand how publications may be accessed, reused, and preserved.
14.12 Accessibility Metadata
Rupkatha Books is committed to improving the accessibility of digital scholarship through internationally recognised accessibility standards.
Where appropriate, metadata may describe:
- searchable text;
- alternative text for images;
- structural navigation;
- tagged PDF features;
- EPUB accessibility;
- machine-readable content;
- accessibility conformance; and
- other features supporting inclusive access.
Accessibility metadata will continue to evolve alongside advances in assistive technologies and international accessibility standards.
14.13 Metadata Maintenance and Versioning
Metadata may be updated following:
- corrections;
- revised editions;
- changes in licensing;
- post-publication amendments;
- improvements in accessibility;
- identifier updates; and
- metadata enhancements.
Wherever possible, persistent identifiers shall remain unchanged to preserve continuity, citation stability, and the integrity of the scholarly record.
14.14 Metadata Distribution and Discovery
Rupkatha Books disseminates metadata through recognised scholarly infrastructures and discovery services, including, where appropriate:
- Crossref;
- ISBN agencies;
- national libraries;
- institutional and disciplinary repositories;
- library discovery systems;
- scholarly search engines;
- indexing and abstracting services;
- digital preservation networks; and
- educational and research platforms.
The publisher seeks to maximise the global visibility and impact of its publications through interoperable, standards-compliant metadata.
