Metadata Management Policy
This policy establishes the guidelines for the creation, management, updating, and preservation of the editorial metadata of publications issued by USFQ PRESS, the publishing house of Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ).
Its purpose is to ensure the integrity, traceability, interoperability, and visibility of published academic and scientific knowledge.
Scope
This policy applies to all publications managed by USFQ PRESS, including:
- Academic and science communication books..
- Academic and scientific journals.
- Monographic series.
- Conference proceedings and other serial publications.
- Digital content hosted on OJS, OMP, and OPS.
General Principles
Metadata management at USFQ PRESS is grounded in USFQ’s institutional values: freedom, truth, goodness, and beauty, and is guided by the following editorial principles:
Transparency: The academic community must be able to clearly identify the editorial status and updates of each publication.
Integrity: Metadata must accurately reflect the published content and its editorial history.
Traceability: Any relevant modification must be recorded and verifiable.
Interoperability: Metadata must comply with international standards that facilitate indexing, discoverability, and digital preservation.
Continuous Updating: Bibliographic and editorial information must remain current throughout the entire life cycle of the content.
Preservation: Metadata must be preserved across different media and databases, including the USFQ Library as the institutional archive of editorial output.
Metadata Management and Curation
USFQ PRESS ensures proper metadata management through:
- The standardization of bibliographic and editorial data.
- The accurate identification of authors, affiliations (ROR), ORCID iDs, contributions, references, data, and publication licenses.
- The registration and maintenance of DOIs through Crossref.
- The updating of information in cases of errata and corrections, retractions, or revised versions.
- The coherence and consistency of records across editorial platforms, repositories, and external indexes.
Tasks and Responsibilities
Metadata management involves shared responsibilities among the different editorial actors.
Editorial teams of journals and monographic series: Verify the quality and consistency of metadata before and after publication.
Authors: Provide complete and up-to-date information regarding authorship, affiliations, contributions, statements on the use of artificial intelligence (when applicable), disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, and any other data required by editorial policies.
Editors: Oversee the proper application of editorial standards at each stage of the editorial workflow, validate metadata, and ensure the quality of publications.
Technical team (SCImago): Ensure the proper implementation and operation of editorial platforms (OJS, OMP, and OPS), guaranteeing the technical integrity of records.
Post-publication Updates and Corrections
USFQ PRESS avoids directly modifying the original document when a significant change is identified. Instead, an independent document is published to explain the update, thus ensuring transparency and traceability.
In the event of any modification, the publisher will follow these guidelines:
- Update the corresponding metadata.
- Record the nature of the change (correction, retraction, update, revised version, among others).
- Communicate clearly so that readers and researchers can identify the current valid version.
Updates will be published as independent records with a DOI when appropriate and will remain linked to the original document.
The affected document will not be removed, in order to preserve the academic record. In serious cases (for example, plagiarism or data falsification), the content will be marked as “Retracted”, including the cause and the corresponding responsibility.
Handling of Editorial Changes
Retraction: A formal notice with a new DOI is published, explaining the reasons (fraud, serious error, plagiarism, among others). The original document remains online, clearly marked as retracted.
Correction or Erratum: A document with a new DOI is published detailing the changes made. The original article includes a note referring readers to the correction.
Revised Version: A new version of the document is published, linked to the previous one, ensuring the clear identification of both versions.
Each editor must investigate the cases and submit a report to USFQ PRESS describing the incidents and possible solutions, in accordance with the USFQ Code of Honor and Coexistence and the international guidelines established by COPE.
Validity
This policy applies to all publications managed by USFQ PRESS and may be updated as international academic publishing standards evolve.
