15.1 Purpose
Our objective is to ensure that every publication remains permanently discoverable, citable, accessible, and reusable, irrespective of technological change, organisational restructuring, publishing platform migration, or future developments in scholarly communication.
This policy should be read together with the Open Access Policy, Metadata, Persistent Identifiers and Scholarly Infrastructure Policy, Self-Archiving Policy, Copyright and Licensing Policy, and other relevant publisher policies.
15.2 Objectives
The Digital Preservation Policy seeks to:
- preserve the scholarly record permanently;
- ensure uninterrupted public access to publications;
- maintain the authenticity and integrity of digital content;
- minimise the risks of technological obsolescence;
- preserve metadata, persistent identifiers, and rights information;
- support interoperability with global scholarly infrastructure;
- facilitate migration to future preservation technologies; and
- strengthen the resilience and sustainability of Open Access scholarly communication.
15.3 Scope
This policy applies to all digital publications, supplementary materials, metadata, and associated scholarly records issued or maintained by Rupkatha Books throughout their publication lifecycle.
15.4 Preservation Principles
Digital preservation activities are guided by the principles of:
- permanence;
- authenticity;
- integrity;
- accessibility;
- interoperability;
- sustainability;
- transparency;
- accountability; and
- openness.
Rupkatha Books seeks to preserve not only published content but also the metadata, licensing information, persistent identifiers, and contextual information necessary for future discovery, verification, citation, and responsible reuse.
15.5 Persistent Identifiers
Persistent identifiers are fundamental to the long-term preservation and stability of the scholarly record.
Where appropriate, publications incorporate internationally recognised identifiers, including:
- Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs);
- International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs);
- ORCID identifiers;
- ROR identifiers;
- funder identifiers; and
- other recognised persistent identifier systems as scholarly infrastructure evolves.
These identifiers facilitate persistent citation, interoperability, and reliable long-term access.
15.6 Preservation Formats
Rupkatha Books preserves publications using internationally recognised, preservation-friendly digital formats designed for long-term accessibility and migration.
These may include:
- PDF/A;
- EPUB;
- high-resolution image formats;
- audiovisual preservation formats; and
- other sustainable preservation formats adopted as technology evolves.
Preservation formats are reviewed periodically to minimise technological obsolescence and maximise future usability.
15.7 Metadata Preservation
Comprehensive metadata forms an essential component of digital preservation.
Preserved metadata may include:
- bibliographic records;
- contributor information;
- ORCID identifiers;
- DOI and ISBN records;
- licensing and rights information;
- publication and version history;
- funding information;
- accessibility metadata;
- preservation metadata; and
- other technical and administrative metadata required to support long-term discovery and interoperability.
Rich metadata enables publications to remain discoverable, citable, machine-readable, and interoperable across future research infrastructures.
15.8 Distributed Preservation
Rupkatha Books supports distributed preservation through deposit in trusted repositories and preservation services wherever appropriate.
These may include:
- institutional repositories;
- national libraries;
- trusted digital repositories;
- Open Access repositories;
- disciplinary repositories;
- digital preservation networks; and
- collaborative preservation initiatives.
Maintaining multiple preservation locations strengthens resilience against technological failure, organisational change, and platform dependency.
15.9 Platform Continuity
The publisher seeks to ensure uninterrupted access to publications during website migration, software upgrades, domain changes, infrastructure redevelopment, or technological transition.
Where publication locations change, persistent identifiers, metadata, and repository records shall be updated to ensure continued access to the Version of Record.
15.10 Version Management
Where publications are corrected, updated, or revised, Rupkatha Books maintains transparent version control.
Version information may include:
- publication dates;
- edition statements;
- revision history;
- relationships between persistent identifiers;
- links between earlier and later versions; and
- records of significant post-publication changes.
Readers should always be able to identify the authoritative Version of Record while preserving the historical integrity of earlier versions.
15.11 Integrity and Security
Rupkatha Books implements appropriate administrative, organisational, and technical safeguards to protect publications against:
- unauthorised modification;
- accidental alteration;
- corruption;
- data loss;
- accidental deletion;
- cyber threats; and
- other risks affecting the integrity of digital scholarly resources.
These measures help preserve the authenticity, reliability, and evidential value of the scholarly record.
15.12 Backup and Disaster Recovery
Digital publications, production files, metadata, and related publishing assets are backed up regularly using appropriate storage, redundancy, and disaster recovery procedures.
The publisher seeks to minimise service disruption and data loss while ensuring the timely restoration of essential publishing functions following unforeseen events.
15.13 Withdrawal and Preservation of the Scholarly Record
In exceptional circumstances requiring withdrawal, restricted access, or retraction—such as legal obligations, copyright disputes, or serious ethical concerns—Rupkatha Books will preserve the integrity of the scholarly record to the greatest extent possible.
Where appropriate:
- bibliographic metadata shall remain publicly accessible;
- persistent identifiers shall remain active;
- public notices shall explain the reason for withdrawal or restriction; and
- version histories shall be preserved.
Transparency and continuity of the scholarly record shall normally take precedence over complete removal of publication metadata.
15.14 Collaboration and Preservation Networks
Rupkatha Books actively collaborates with universities, libraries, archives, research institutions, repository managers, metadata agencies, digital preservation initiatives, and international scholarly infrastructure providers to strengthen the long-term preservation of born-digital scholarship.
Collaborative preservation enhances resilience, accessibility, interoperability, and the global sustainability of scholarly communication.
