Archiving Policy

This archiving policy establishes a robust framework for preserving Siyasah Dusturiyah: State Law Review intellectual output while ensuring compliance with international digital preservation standards, legal requirements, and scholarly best practices. The policy prioritises redundancy, integrity, and perpetual access to safeguard the journal's contributions to Islamic constitutional law and legal scholarship.

Digital Preservation Systems

Distributed Archiving via LOCKSS and CLOCKSS

The journal participates in the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) and CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS) networks to create a decentralised, geographically distributed preservation system. These systems enable partner libraries to archive content perpetually, ensuring restoration capabilities even if the journal's primary platform becomes unavailable. All articles are preserved with explicit publisher permission under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN)

For additional redundancy, the journal registers with the PKP Preservation Network, a dark archive that preserves Open Journal Systems (OJS)-based content using LOCKSS technology. This ensures long-term access if the journal transitions platforms or ceases operations. Trigger events (e.g., discontinuation) activate content release to designated OJS instances.

Storage and Format Standards

File Formats and Integrity

  • Primary formats: Articles are archived in PDF/A (ISO 19005) for static preservation and XML for machine readability and future interoperability.
  • Metadata: Comprehensive administrative, descriptive, and technical metadata (Dublin Core, PREMIS) accompany each submission to ensure contextual understanding.
  • Checksums: SHA-256 hashes verify file integrity during transfers and audits.

Redundancy Protocols

Adhering to the 3-2-1 rule, three copies are stored:

  1. Primary server hosted on encrypted, geographically distributed cloud storage (e.g., AWS S3).
  2. Secondary LOCKSS/CLOCKSS participant libraries.
  3. Tertiary offline backup on write-once, read-many (WORM) tapes in a climate-controlled facility.

Access and Security

Encryption and Permissions

  • At-rest encryption: AES-256 secures archived files.
  • Access controls: Role-based permissions restrict system modifications to designated administrators.
  • HTTPS: All data transfers use TLS 1.3 encryption.

Self-Archiving Rights

Authors retain copyright and may deposit pre-print, post-print, and publisher's PDF versions in institutional repositories (e.g., SSRN, Zenodo) or personal websites, provided they cite the final published version.

Retention and Deletion

Retention Periods

  • Active content: All articles remain openly accessible indefinitely.
  • Superseded versions: Previous drafts are retained for seven years post-publication.
  • Audit logs: System access and modification records are preserved for ten years.

Deletion Protocols

Content is only deleted if legally mandated (e.g., defamation rulings). A three-step process applies:

  1. Takedown request review by the editorial board.
  2. Metadata preservation: Deleted articles retain tombstone records explaining removal.
  3. Secure erasure: Cryptographic shredding ensures irrecoverable deletion.

Copyright and Licensing

Permissions Framework

  • Author agreements: Contributors grant the journal non-exclusive rights to publish and archive their work.
  • Third-party content: Figures, tables, or excerpts require written permission and attribution.
  • CLOCKSS/Portico agreements: Explicit clauses permit preservation and post-cancellation access.

Licensing

All content is published under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license, allowing reuse with attribution and share-alike terms. Exceptions apply to third-party materials under stricter licenses.

Compliance and Auditing

OAIS Compliance

The archive adheres to the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model, ensuring:

  • Ingest workflows: Submission Information Packages (SIPS) are validated against schema standards.
  • Archival Information Packages (AIPS): Include preservation metadata and fixity checks.
  • Dissemination Information Packages (DIPS): Delivered in formats matching user requests (e.g., PDF, HTML).

Annual Audits

  • Technical audits: Verify checksums, storage integrity, and access controls.
  • Content audits: Randomly sample 5% of articles to confirm readability and metadata accuracy.
  • Legal audits: Review licensing agreements and takedown request logs.

Policy Amendments

Revisions require approval by the editorial board and must be:

  1. Published in the journal's "Announcements" section.
  2. Archived alongside previous policy versions with version-control metadata.
  3. Communicated to LOCKSS/CLOCKSS and PKP PN networks within 30 days.

This policy synthesises distributed preservation frameworks, format longevity strategies, and cybersecurity best practices, positioning Siyasah Dusturiyah: State Law Review as a steward of enduring scholarly access.