Repository Policy

The Annals of Proteomics and Bioinformatics (APB) supports open research dissemination and long-term preservation through self-archiving and repository inclusion. This Repository Policy outlines how authors, institutions, and third parties may store, share, or reuse published versions of APB articles while maintaining appropriate citation and licensing requirements.

APB allows immediate and unrestricted deposit of all article versions — preprint, accepted manuscript, and published PDF — in repositories worldwide under a CC BY 4.0 license.

1. Policy Overview

APB’s repository policy complies with SHERPA/RoMEO Green Open Access classification and aligns with best practices recommended by DOAJ, COPE, and OpenAIRE. The journal encourages self-archiving to enhance discoverability and citation impact.

2. Versions Allowed for Deposit

Version Description Repository Permission
Preprint Original draft before peer review. Allowed immediately in preprint servers (e.g., bioRxiv, arXiv, OSF).
Accepted Manuscript (AAM) Version accepted after peer review but before typesetting. Allowed immediately in institutional or subject repositories.
Published Version (Version of Record) Final formatted PDF with DOI and citation. Allowed immediately with attribution and link to APB’s article DOI.

3. Repository Types Supported

  • Institutional Repositories (e.g., university archives, research libraries)
  • Subject-Specific Repositories (e.g., PubMed Central, ProteomeXchange, Zenodo)
  • National/Regional Repositories (e.g., Europe PMC, CNKI, HAL)
  • Funding Agency Mandated Repositories (e.g., NIH, Horizon Europe)

4. Deposit Requirements

When archiving APB content, the following must be included:

  • Full citation of the published article, including DOI.
  • A clear link to the official APB version on the journal website.
  • The Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) statement.
Example citation: “This is the accepted version of the article published in Annals of Proteomics and Bioinformatics (APB), DOI: 10.17352/apb.xxx”.

5. Embargo Policy

APB imposes no embargo period for any article version. Authors may deposit immediately upon publication or acceptance.

6. Metadata Sharing and Harvesting

All metadata for APB articles are openly available through the OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative – Protocol for Metadata Harvesting). This facilitates indexing by CrossRef, DOAJ, Google Scholar, and BASE.

Metadata include title, authors, abstract, keywords, DOI, publication date, and license information for use in institutional catalogs or repository aggregators.

7. Repository Indexing Services

APB actively participates in repository indexing and digital archiving networks, including:

  • SHERPA/RoMEO – Green open access classification.
  • Portico – Long-term preservation of published content.
  • PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN) – Redundant backup of all OJS journals.
  • LOCKSS/CLOCKSS – Distributed preservation network ensuring data continuity.

8. License Terms for Repository Use

All content is distributed under CC BY 4.0, allowing users to share, adapt, and redistribute the material in any format for commercial and non-commercial use, provided proper attribution is given to the original authors and journal.

9. Preservation and Version Control

Repository copies must maintain accurate versioning and citation metadata. Authors are encouraged to indicate clearly whether the version deposited is a preprint, accepted manuscript, or published PDF.

10. Author Responsibilities

Authors depositing content in repositories are responsible for:

  • Ensuring proper citation and DOI inclusion.
  • Respecting data confidentiality and third-party copyright restrictions.
  • Updating links if new versions or corrections are issued by APB.

11. Compliance with Funder Mandates

APB’s open repository framework meets the open-access requirements of major funders, including the NIH Public Access Policy, Plan S, and Horizon Europe mandates, ensuring global accessibility and compliance.

12. Policy Review and Updates

This Repository Policy is reviewed annually to align with evolving data archiving technologies, international repository partnerships, and changes in open-access legislation or funder policies.

13. Contact Information

For repository deposits, metadata harvesting, or archiving inquiries, contact:

© 2025 Annals of Proteomics and Bioinformatics (APB) · Heighten Sciences Publication Incorporation

Source Reference: SHERPA/RoMEO Guidelines, COPE Best Practices, DOAJ Repository Policies, and OAI-PMH Standards.