East Midlands Evidence Repository (EMER) 

Repository Policies 

Metadata Policy  

Metadata is information describing items in EMER, for example title or author. This policy describes how it can be used. 

  1. Anyone may access the metadata free of charge. 
  2. The metadata may be re-used in any medium without prior permission for not-for-profit purposes provided the OAI Identifier or a link to the original metadata record are given. 
  3. The metadata must not be re-used in any medium for commercial purposes without formal permission.

 

Data Policy  

The data policy covers items that are made available in full-text or full data items in EMER. 

 

  1. Anyone may access full items free of charge. 
  2. Copies of full items can be: 
    • reproduced, displayed, or performed, given to third parties, and stored in a database in any format or medium 
    • for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge. 
    • provided:
    • the authors, title and full bibliographic details are given 
    • a hyperlink and/or URL are given for the original metadata page 
    • the content is not changed in any way 
  3. Full items must not be harvested by robots except transiently for full-text indexing or citation analysis. 
  4. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without formal permission of the copyright holders. 

 

Content Policy  

The content policy covers the types of information included in EMER. 

  1. EMER is a multi-institution subject-based repository including research published by NHS staff working for the NHS trusts in the collaborative. It covers all aspects of healthcare from specific health conditions and therapies to leadership and organisational management within the NHS. 
  2. EMER holds all types of items except for: 
    • Software 
    • Patents 
    • Other special item types 

 

Submission Policy  

The submission policy covers who can deposit material with EMER, the quality of the material deposited, and copyright issues. See also Submission Process. 

  1. Items may only be deposited by accredited members of the collaboration organisations, staff based at the Institute of Mental Health Nottingham or their delegated agents. 
  2. Authors may only submit their own work for archiving. 
  3. Authors must ensure materials submitted does not contain patient identifiable information. 
  4. If applicable authors must follow any preapproval requirements specified in publication guidance/policy in their organisation.   
  5. The administrators only vet items for the eligibility of authors/depositors, relevance to the scope of the repository, valid layout & format, and the exclusion of spam. 
  6. The validity and authenticity of the content of submissions is the sole responsibility of the depositor. 
  7. Items can be deposited at any time but will not be made publicly visible until any publishers' or funders' embargo period has expired. 
  8. Any copyright violations are entirely the responsibility of the authors/depositors.  Advice on copyright may be sought from the authors/depositor’s organisation administrators for EMER. 
  9. If EMER receives proof of copyright violation, the relevant item will be removed immediately. 

 

Preservation Policy 

The preservation policy covers how the items deposited in EMER are being managed. 

  1. Items will be retained indefinitely. 
  2. EMER will try to ensure continued readability and accessibility. 
  3. Items will be migrated to new file formats where necessary. 
  4. Where possible, software emulations will be provided to access un-migrated formats. 
  5. EMER regularly backs up its files according to current best practice. 
  6. The original bit stream is retained for all items, in addition to any upgraded formats. 
  7. Items may not normally be removed from EMER. 
  8. Acceptable reasons for withdrawal include: 
    • Proven copyright violation or plagiarism 
    • Patient identifiable data 
    • Legal requirements and proven violations 
    • National Security 
    • Falsified research 
  9. Withdrawn items are not deleted per se but are removed from public view. 
  10. Withdrawn items' identifiers/URLs are retained indefinitely. 
  11. URLs will continue to point to 'tombstone' citations, to avoid broken links and to retain item histories. 
  12. Changes to the physical deposited items are not permitted. 
  13. Errata and corrigenda lists may be included with the original record if required. 
  14. If necessary, an updated version may be deposited. 
  15. In the event of the EMER being closed down, the database will be transferred to another appropriate archive.

 

Acknowledgment 

These policies are substantially based on the OpenDOAR Policy Support Tool https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/opendoar/policytool/

 

Version 1. Last review date 04.05.2022