What Is Digital Archiving in Academic Publishing?
Digital archiving refers to the structured preservation of scholarly content in secure, distributed repositories that ensure long-term access—even if a journal website becomes unavailable or undergoes changes. For academic publishers, implementing an archiving strategy is essential for:
- Meeting ethical obligations to authors, readers, and the academic community
- Complying with requirements from indexing platforms and funding agencies (e.g., DOAJ, Scopus, PMC)
- Protecting the scholarly record against data loss or corruption
- Guaranteeing future researchers uninterrupted access to published work
Major Archiving Networks Supported by WebTa Publishing
1. LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe)
lockss.org
Developed at Stanford University, LOCKSS is a decentralized preservation system that relies on a distributed network of libraries and publishers.
Key Features
- Local copies stored across multiple institutions
- Automated integrity checking and repair
- Supports both open access and subscription journals
- Open-source and community-driven
How to Join
- Register with the LOCKSS publisher registry
- Create a manifest page or OAI-PMH feed for content harvesting
- Configure your website to allow LOCKSS crawling
2. CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS)
clockss.org
CLOCKSS is a not-for-profit preservation network built on LOCKSS infrastructure. In the event of a journal’s discontinuation, CLOCKSS releases preserved content openly.
Key Features
- Operates as a “dark archive” until content is triggered
- Preserves content at 12+ mirror sites worldwide
- Governed by libraries and publishers
- Assigns DOIs to triggered content for persistent access
How to Join
- Sign a participation agreement with CLOCKSS
- Provide journal files via FTP or web crawl
- No special technical configuration required
3. Portico
portico.org
Portico is a commercial archiving service widely adopted by scholarly publishers, university presses, and aggregators.
Key Features
- Preserves e-journals, books, and digital collections
- Provides guaranteed access to participating libraries
- Integrates with discovery services and library platforms
- Releases content via trigger events when needed
How to Join
- Contact Portico to initiate a participation agreement
- Submit XML, HTML, or PDF content with metadata
- Pay an annual service fee based on journal size and publishing model
Archiving Best Practices for Academic Journals
Include an Archiving Policy
Clearly state your long-term preservation plan on your journal website. Example:
“This journal ensures content preservation through CLOCKSS and LOCKSS. All published materials remain accessible via our archiving partners in the event of disruption or discontinuation.”
Enable Harvesting Protocols
Ensure your content can be accessed via OAI-PMH or compatible feeds.
Use Redundant Archiving Locations
In addition to a major network, deposit your content in institutional repositories or national libraries when possible.
Adopt Structured Metadata Standards
Use JATS XML or equivalent formats to improve system compatibility and future-proof content.
Monitor Archiving Partner Requirements
Stay updated with the latest integration guidelines or technical changes from your chosen archiving services.
Why Archiving Is Essential for Indexing and Funders
Long-term digital preservation is not just best practice—it’s a requirement for many scholarly platforms and grant agencies:
- DOAJ: Requires transparent archiving arrangements or third-party preservation
- Scopus & Web of Science: Evaluate archiving in journal sustainability assessments
- PubMed Central: Accepts journals only with consistent hosting and preservation
- Funder Compliance: Bodies like NIH and Horizon Europe mandate permanent open access
How WebTa Publishing Supports Archiving
We offer end-to-end support for implementing a reliable archiving system:
- File preparation in XML, PDF, and other archival formats
- Setup and validation of LOCKSS manifest pages or OAI-PMH integration
- Submission and configuration for CLOCKSS or Portico
- Ongoing content delivery and monitoring
- Drafting public-facing preservation policies
Ready to Protect Your Journal for the Long Term?
We can help you build a compliant, sustainable archiving plan that secures your journal’s future and supports institutional and indexing expectations.
Contact WebTa Publishing to request support or a detailed archiving audit.