Life Sciences Repository - questions and answers

What is PUBLISSO – Repository for Life Science?

The PUBLISSO – Repository for Life Sciences is used for publishing, referencing and digitally preserving publications.

The repository offers the advantage of long-term archiving and the world wide access to the documents.

What does "Open Access" mean?

You can find a detailed definition and general information on open access here.

What kind of documents can I publish or archive?

•     Monographs
•     Doctoral/postdoctoral theses
•     Master's and state examination theses (no Bachelor's)
•     Conference and congress publications
•     Research work that has beeen specifically inspected and approved by the library

The document must meet the generally accepted standards of quality for research work. The management of ZB MED reserves the right to refuse publication.

Can documents be deleted or modified?

Documents can only be deleted in exceptional cases by submitting a request to ZB MED. Thereby will only the work on the Repository Life Sciences be deletes (e.g. the PDF full text) , the corresponding set of metadata is preserved. The fact that the document has already been disseminated on the Internet means that it is not possible to delete any versions that were downloaded or disseminated while the agreement was still in force. Modified documents are considered to be new publications and must be incorporated in the PUBLISSO – Repository Life Sciences on that basis.

How long are the documents kept accessible online?

The intention is to make all documents permanently available. To support this goal, the author shall assign ZB MED the right to migrate the data of his/her work into other data formats if this becomes necessary due to technical developments.

What is a persistent identifier?

Every digital document is provided with a persistent identifier. A persistent identifier is an unique code that is permanently linked to a digital object and remains the same regardless of where the object is located. It enables a digital object to be permanently accessed and clearly identified over its entire lifespan.

ZB MED uses the DOI - Digital Object Identifier. DOIs can be looked up on the Internet using DOI resolvers such as the website DOI.org

Are the documents citable?

Electronic publications are equal to conventional publications.
Documents stored in the institutional respository are citable on a long-term basis. Two persistent identifier - DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and URN (Uniform Resource Name) - are generated for each dissertation archived.

What should I do if I wish to publish the work through a publisher in parallel?

In the case of works that have already been published, copyright law means that a publisher will generally have to consent to the work being re-published on the Internet. This depends on the agreement made between the author an the publisher. Many publishers permit works to be published electronically in parallel on condition that you use a non-profit serve such as the Repository Life Sciences. For an overview of standard guidelines issued by publishers, please consult the database SHERPA/RoMEO (Englisch): Publisher copyright policies & self-archiving

What format should my document be submitted in?

Your document must be delivered in PDF- or PDF/A-format and can only consist of one file. Please ensure you do not use any form of encryption or access restrictions in the document's security settings since these are incompatible with digital preservation.

Excellent and detailed information how to create files in PDF-format provides the following document issued by Tübingen University Library (in German only):  Publizieren im PDF-Format: ein Online-Tutorial.

How can I find documents in the repository?

Our electronic publications can be found in ZB MED`s specialist subject portal LIVIVO or the PUBLISSO – Repository Life Sciences (German only).