Repository Policy
Insights in Biology and Medicine (IBM) is an open-access journal that fully supports author self-archiving and repository deposit. All articles are published under CC BY 4.0. Authors are encouraged to disseminate preprints, author-accepted manuscripts (AAMs), and the Version of Record (VoR) to maximize accessibility and impact.
- Embargo: None. Deposit is permitted immediately on publication.
- Where you may deposit: Institutional repositories, subject repositories (e.g., PubMed Central where applicable), funder repositories, personal/departmental webpages, and preprint servers.
- Which versions: Preprint, AAM (postprint), and VoR (publisher PDF/HTML) — see table below.
- Attribution: Always cite the final published article with DOI and include a link to the VoR landing page.
2) Versions You May Share
| Version | Definition | Where Allowed | When | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preprint (Submitted Manuscript) | Author’s version prior to peer review. | Preprint servers (e.g., bioRxiv/medRxiv), personal sites, institutional repositories. | Anytime (before, during, or after peer review). | State that it is a preprint; upon acceptance add citation/DOI to the VoR. Do not imply endorsement by the journal. |
| Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) / Postprint | Final author version after peer review, prior to typesetting. | Institutional, subject, and funder repositories; personal sites. | Immediately upon acceptance (no embargo). | Include citation to VoR, DOI link, and © The Author(s) under CC BY 4.0. Indicate that this is the AAM. |
| Version of Record (VoR) / Publisher PDF or HTML | Final formatted version on the journal site with DOI. | Institutional/subject repositories permitted. | Immediately on publication (no embargo). | Link back to the canonical article page; keep layout, logos, and notices intact; maintain CC BY 4.0 notice. |
3) License, Reuse & Text-and-Data Mining (TDM)
All IBM content is published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). This permits sharing, adaptation, commercial and non-commercial reuse, and computational analysis, provided appropriate credit is given and changes are indicated.
- TDM: Automated crawling, indexing, and analysis are permitted. Please honor robots.txt and cite the source DOI(s).
- Third-party materials: Items not under CC BY must be clearly labeled; permissions may be required for reuse/deposit.
- Metadata: Article metadata (titles, abstracts, references, funding) may be harvested and reused under CC0 where feasible.
4) OAI-PMH & Machine Readability
IBM exposes article metadata via the OAI-PMH protocol to facilitate repository harvesting and discovery. Harvesters should prefer the DOI as the persistent identifier and the VoR landing page as the canonical URL.
Recommended practice for repositories:
- Map local identifiers to the DOI; include dc.identifier.doi and dc.relation.isversionof for AAMs.
- Surface license in machine-readable form (dc.rights.uri → https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Retain publisher-provided abstracts and keywords; do not truncate author lists.
5) Funder & Institutional Mandates
Our policy is designed to be compliant with common open-access mandates. Authors should deposit the AAM or VoR in the designated repository at the time of acceptance/publication and include the DOI. Where PubMed Central (PMC) or other funder repositories are required, IBM supports author deposit of the VoR or AAM without embargo.
- Include grant numbers and funder names in the submission metadata to support deposit workflows.
- If a specific license statement is mandated by your funder, add it in the acknowledgments and cover letter.
6) Versioning, Linking & Corrections
Preprints and AAMs should be linked to the VoR upon publication. Where substantive post-publication updates occur (correction, expression of concern, retraction), the VoR will indicate the update and repositories should synchronize metadata accordingly.
- Preferred link text: “Read the Version of Record at DOI:xx.xxxx/ibm.xxxx”.
- ORCID: Include ORCIDs in repository records where supported.
- Data/code links: Retain working links to registered repositories (e.g., Zenodo, Dryad, SRA, GEO, PRIDE, OSF, GitHub releases with DOI).
7) Digital Preservation & Failover
To ensure long-term accessibility, IBM participates in community archiving and preservation. If the journal website were ever unavailable, the preserved VoR remains accessible through preservation networks and repositories where deposited.
- Archival format: PDF/A or publisher PDF, XML/JATS for structured content where available.
- Checksums: Periodic fixity checks to detect file corruption in archival storage.
- Redundancy: Mirrored copies in multiple geographic locations and networks.
8) How Authors Can Deposit (Step-by-Step)
- Choose the version: Preprint, AAM, or VoR (publisher PDF). We recommend VoR when available.
- Add the required notices:
- License text: © The Author(s) under CC BY 4.0
- Canonical citation with DOI
- Version label (e.g., “Author Accepted Manuscript”)
- Upload to your repository: Fill in complete metadata (authors with ORCID, abstract, keywords, funders, grant numbers).
- Link back: Include the VoR DOI/URL in the repository record.
- Notify co-authors: Share the repository link for institutional reporting and CVs.
9) Metadata Reuse & Citation Exports
IBM encourages the reuse and redistribution of article metadata for academic and bibliometric purposes.
- Permitted: Harvesting, indexing, and redistribution of titles, abstracts, author lists, affiliations, references, funding, and DOIs.
- Recommended formats: BibTeX, RIS, JSON-LD, and JATS XML where provided.
- Attribution: Cite the journal and include DOI(s) whenever redistributing metadata subsets.
10) Rights Retention Statement
Authors retain copyright in their work. By submitting to IBM, authors grant the publisher a non-exclusive right to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher. The CC BY 4.0 license applies to the VoR and any subsequent corrections or updates.
11) Repository Policy — Quick FAQ
Can I post my manuscript on a preprint server?
Yes. You may post preprints at any time and keep them online after publication. Please update the record with the VoR DOI once available.
May I deposit the publisher PDF in my institutional repository?
Yes. The VoR (publisher PDF/HTML) may be deposited immediately on publication, with no embargo. Include the DOI and retain license/branding notices.
What license applies to repository copies?
CC BY 4.0. If your repository requires a machine-readable statement, use the URL https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
What if my funder mandates deposit in a specific repository?
Deposit the VoR or AAM as required, include the DOI, and ensure the license statement is present. IBM’s no-embargo policy is compatible with most mandates.
How should I label the AAM file?
Use a clear filename such as Lastname_2025_IBM_AAM.pdf and include a first-page note: “This is the author accepted manuscript (post-peer review); the Version of Record is available at DOI:…”.
12) Compliance Checklist (for Authors & Repositories)
- ✅ Version clearly identified (Preprint / AAM / VoR)
- ✅ DOI and canonical link to VoR included
- ✅ CC BY 4.0 statement and license URL present
- ✅ All authors listed with ORCIDs where available
- ✅ Funding and grant numbers included
- ✅ Data/code repository links retained
- ✅ Machine-readable rights field populated
13) Questions & Support
For repository managers or authors needing assistance with deposit or metadata mapping, contact: [email protected]. Please include the article title, DOI, repository name, and a brief description of the issue.
Policy Summary (Human- & Machine-Readable)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| License | CC BY 4.0 (no embargo) |
| Preprints | Allowed anytime; link to VoR on publication |
| AAM/Postprint | Immediate deposit permitted with DOI/notice |
| Version of Record | Immediate repository deposit permitted |
| Where | Institutional/subject/funder repositories; personal websites |
| TDM | Permitted; cite DOI(s); respect robots.txt |
| Preservation | Multiple redundant archives; PDF/A and JATS where available |