Archiving and Digital Preservation Policy
Our Preservation Commitment
International Multispecialty Journal of Health (IMJ Health) is committed to preserving published research content for long-term accessibility, ensuring medical knowledge remains available for future generations of researchers, clinicians, and students.
Policy Contents
1. Policy Purpose and Scope
This policy establishes IMJ Health's commitment to ensuring the long-term preservation and accessibility of all published content. Medical research represents a valuable investment in human knowledge that must be protected against technological obsolescence, data corruption, and institutional changes.
Policy Objectives
- Permanent Access: Ensure continuous availability of published research
- Content Integrity: Maintain accuracy and authenticity of archived materials
- Technological Resilience: Protect against format obsolescence
- Disaster Recovery: Safeguard content against catastrophic events
- Legal Compliance: Meet preservation requirements for scholarly publishing
- Future Compatibility: Ensure content remains usable with future technologies
Policy Timeline
Our preservation commitment extends across multiple timeframes:
- Short-term (1-5 years): Active preservation
- Medium-term (5-25 years): Format migration
- Long-term (25+ years): Permanent archiving
- Perpetual: Permanent preservation
Policy established: March 15, 2015
Scope of Preservation
This policy applies to all scholarly content published by IMJ Health, including research articles, review papers, case reports, editorials, supplements, and associated metadata. Both current and legacy content fall within our preservation framework.
2. Preservation Principles
Foundational Principles
Our digital preservation strategy is built upon established principles that guide all archiving activities and decisions.
Content Integrity Principles
Authenticity and Reliability:
- Bit-level Preservation: Maintain exact digital copies of original files
- Checksum Verification: Regular validation of file integrity
- Version Control: Track all changes and updates to preserved content
- Provenance Documentation: Maintain clear history of content origins
- Fixity Checks: Periodic verification that content remains unchanged
- Chain of Custody: Document all transfers and handling
Accessibility Principles
Continuous Availability:
- Redundant Storage: Multiple geographically distributed copies
- Format Independence: Content remains usable despite technology changes
- Migration Planning: Proactive format updating strategy
- Metadata Preservation: Complete descriptive information retention
- Access Rights: Maintain appropriate access permissions
- Disaster Recovery: Rapid restoration capabilities
Ethical Preservation Commitments
- Transparency: Clear documentation of preservation practices
- Accountability: Designated responsibility for preservation activities
- Sustainability: Long-term planning and resource allocation
- Collaboration: Partnership with preservation organizations
- Compliance: Adherence to legal and ethical requirements
- Quality Assurance: Regular assessment of preservation effectiveness
- Risk Management: Proactive identification and mitigation of threats
- Innovation: Adoption of emerging preservation technologies
3. Archiving Methods and Strategies
Primary Preservation Methods
- Bit Preservation: Exact copy retention at the binary level
- Format Migration: Periodic conversion to current formats
- Emulation: Recreation of original viewing environment
- Normalization: Conversion to standardized preservation formats
- Metadata Enrichment: Addition of preservation metadata
- Redundant Storage: Multiple independent copies
Storage Strategies
- Geographic Distribution: Copies stored in different locations
- Media Diversity: Multiple storage media types
- Refreshment Cycle: Regular transfer to new media
- Technology Monitoring: Ongoing assessment of storage technologies
- Migration Planning: Scheduled format updates
- Disaster Preparedness: Comprehensive recovery plans
File Format Strategy
We preserve content in multiple formats to ensure long-term accessibility:
- Preservation Master: High-quality archival formats (TIFF, WAV, XML)
- Access Copy: Current web-accessible formats (PDF, HTML, JPEG)
- Migration Formats: Standardized formats for future conversion
- Metadata Files: Comprehensive descriptive information
- Documentation: Technical specifications and guides
Refreshment Schedule
Regular maintenance activities ensure preservation quality:
- Daily: Integrity checks and backup verification
- Monthly: Storage system health assessments
- Quarterly: Format obsolescence monitoring
- Annual: Comprehensive preservation audit
- Every 5 years: Media refreshment and migration
- As needed: Technology updates and improvements
4. Preservation Systems and Partnerships
Participating Preservation Systems
IMJ Health participates in multiple preservation systems to ensure content security:
CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS)
A geographically distributed preservation system that stores content in multiple global locations. If IMJ Health ceases publication, CLOCKSS makes all content freely available to the public.
Visit CLOCKSSLOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe)
A peer-to-peer preservation system where libraries preserve content through distributed digital preservation networks.
Visit LOCKSSPortico
A digital preservation service that safeguards access to e-journals, e-books, and digital collections.
Visit PorticoTechnical Infrastructure
Our preservation infrastructure includes:
- Storage Systems: Enterprise-grade storage with RAID protection
- Backup Solutions: Multiple backup systems with off-site copies
- Monitoring Tools: Automated systems for integrity checking
- Metadata Management: Comprehensive metadata repositories
- Access Systems: Redundant web servers and delivery networks
- Security Measures: Advanced security protocols and encryption
System Architecture
Our preservation system employs a layered architecture with multiple redundancy levels, ensuring content remains accessible even during partial system failures.
Preservation Partnerships
IMJ Health collaborates with leading preservation organizations to enhance our archiving capabilities:
Academic Libraries
Partnerships with major research libraries for distributed preservation
Digital Repositories
Collaboration with institutional and disciplinary repositories
Global Networks
Participation in international preservation initiatives and standards
5. Content Preservation Details
Preserved Content Types
IMJ Health preserves the complete scholarly record, including all components necessary for understanding and verifying research findings.
Primary Research Content
- Complete article text in XML and PDF formats
- All figures, tables, and illustrations
- Supplementary materials and datasets
- Author affiliations and contact information
- Funding and acknowledgment statements
- Publication dates and version information
Metadata and Context
- Complete bibliographic metadata (Dublin Core, JATS)
- Citation information and reference lists
- Subject classifications and keywords
- Abstracts in multiple languages
- Digital object identifiers (DOIs)
- Licensing and copyright information
Technical Components
- Website structure and navigation elements
- Journal design and layout specifications
- Interactive features and functionality
- Search interfaces and indexing systems
- Access control and authentication systems
- Usage statistics and analytics data
Historical and Legacy Content
- All back issues from journal inception
- Editorial board compositions over time
- Journal policies and guidelines evolution
- Publication frequency and format changes
- Indexing and abstracting history
- Impact metrics and citation history
Preservation Assurance
All preserved content undergoes regular verification to ensure:
Content Integrity
Files remain complete and uncorrupted
Security Protection
Content protected from unauthorized access
Accessibility
Content remains usable with current technology
6. Roles and Responsibilities
Editorial Office Responsibilities
- Policy Implementation: Execute preservation activities according to this policy
- Content Preparation: Ensure content meets preservation format requirements
- Metadata Management: Create and maintain comprehensive metadata
- System Monitoring: Regularly check preservation system functionality
- Partner Coordination: Manage relationships with preservation partners
- Documentation: Maintain records of preservation activities
Technical Team Responsibilities
- System Maintenance: Ensure preservation systems remain operational
- Data Integrity: Perform regular checksum verification
- Backup Management: Maintain multiple backup copies
- Format Migration: Execute scheduled format updates
- Security Management: Protect preserved content from threats
- Disaster Recovery: Implement and test recovery procedures
Stakeholder Responsibilities
Authors
Provide content in preservation-friendly formats and complete metadata
Editorial Board
Oversee preservation policy implementation and review
Preservation Partners
Collaborate on distributed preservation and emergency access
7. Monitoring and Policy Review
Monitoring Activities
Regular monitoring ensures preservation effectiveness:
- Daily: System availability and integrity checks
- Weekly: Backup completion verification
- Monthly: Storage capacity and performance assessment
- Quarterly: Format obsolescence risk analysis
- Annual: Comprehensive preservation audit
- Biannual: Disaster recovery testing
Quality Assurance
Systematic quality checks ensure preservation standards:
- Content Completeness: Verify all components are preserved
- Format Compliance: Check adherence to preservation formats
- Metadata Accuracy: Validate descriptive information
- Access Functionality: Test retrieval and display capabilities
- Security Effectiveness: Assess protection measures
- Partner Performance: Evaluate preservation service providers
Policy Review Schedule
This preservation policy undergoes regular review to ensure continued effectiveness:
Editorial board policy review
Technical infrastructure assessment
Stakeholder consultation and feedback
Response to technological changes
Last Comprehensive Review: February 22, 2026
Next Scheduled Review: February 22, 2027
8. Contact and Support
Preservation Inquiries
For questions about our preservation practices:
- General Inquiries: info@imjhealth.org
- Technical Questions: info@imjhealth.org
- Response Time: Within 3 business days
- Emergency Contact: Preservation system issues
- Feedback: Suggestions for improvement
- Reporting Issues: Content access problems
Access Assistance
If you encounter access issues with archived content:
- Contact technical support immediately
- Provide specific details about the issue
- Include URLs and error messages
- Specify the technology being used
- Request alternative format if needed
- Report persistent access problems
Continuous Improvement
This archiving and digital preservation policy is regularly updated to reflect advances in preservation technology, changes in scholarly communication practices, and feedback from our user community. We are committed to continuous improvement of our preservation practices to better serve the research community.
Preservation Support
For preservation policy questions or technical assistance:
Primary Contact: info@imjhealth.org
Response Commitment: We respond to all preservation inquiries within 3 business days. For urgent preservation system issues, please indicate "URGENT" in your subject line.
Policy Document Information
Policy Version
Version 3.1
Effective Date
March 15, 2015
Last Updated
February 22, 2026
Note: This archiving and digital preservation policy applies to all content published by International Multispecialty Journal of Health (IMJ Health). The policy is designed to ensure permanent access to scholarly research while maintaining content integrity and authenticity. All preservation activities comply with relevant standards and best practices in digital preservation.