Content preservation

Digital preservation policies for scientific e-journals at the University of Cuenca

Estoa, like the e-journals of the University of Cuenca managed through OJS (Open Journal Systems), uses the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system for digital preservation. The LOCKSS system allows a journal, with permission from the publisher, to collect, preserve and disseminate to its users a copy of the materials to which it has subscribed, as well as open access material for preservation and restoration purposes.

In addition, the University of Cuenca has daily automatic backup processes that maintain the integrity of the journals and their stored data. These backups are performed in different geographical locations, so that the data is not lost in the event of a serious physical event. As can be seen in the diagram in Figure 1, backups are performed every 24 hours and are kept for 6 months in the institutional repositories. In the event of incidents with the journals, the previous day's backups are reactivated, thus avoiding loss of information during backup periods longer than one day (Figure 2).

Finally, Estoa adheres to databases that act as open access repositories, preserving articles in PDF and XML formats independently of the journal, for example, the Dialnet and SciELO databases. This provides permanent external support for the journal's articles and greater visibility for them.

Figure 1. Process for backing up information from University of Cuenca journals.

Figure 2. Information retrieval process for incidents in the University of Cuenca journal system.