Repository policy

1. Introduction

The International Journal of Research in Vocational Studies (IJRVOCAS) supports the dissemination, preservation, and responsible sharing of scholarly work. Authors are encouraged to deposit and share their manuscripts in appropriate repositories, personal websites, institutional platforms, and academic networks in accordance with this repository policy.

This policy is intended to increase the visibility, accessibility, and long-term impact of research published in IJRVOCAS while ensuring proper citation, attribution, and respect for the journal’s official published version.

2. General Repository Policy

IJRVOCAS allows authors to deposit their work in institutional repositories, subject repositories, personal websites, funder repositories, and academic networking platforms, provided that the deposited version is properly identified and cited.

Authors should always include the full citation of the published article and provide a DOI or permanent link to the official version of record on the IJRVOCAS website.

3. Versions Eligible for Deposit

Authors may deposit the following versions of their manuscript:

Preprint Version

A preprint is the version of the manuscript before peer review. Authors may deposit the preprint version on preprint servers, institutional repositories, personal websites, or academic platforms before or during submission to IJRVOCAS.

If the manuscript is later accepted and published in IJRVOCAS, authors are encouraged to update the preprint record by adding the full citation and DOI link to the published version.

Accepted Manuscript Version

The accepted manuscript is the version that has been accepted for publication after peer review but before final copyediting, formatting, layout, and publication by IJRVOCAS.

Authors may deposit the accepted manuscript in institutional repositories, subject repositories, funder repositories, or personal websites after acceptance, provided that the official published version is properly cited once available.

Published Version / Version of Record

The published version, also known as the version of record, is the final article published on the IJRVOCAS website with complete citation details, DOI, formatting, layout, and journal metadata.

Authors are encouraged to deposit and share the published version of record in repositories, personal websites, academic networks, and institutional platforms, provided that the article is properly cited and linked to the official IJRVOCAS publication page.

4. Recommended Citation for Deposited Articles

When depositing or sharing an article, authors should include the following information:

  • Author name(s)
  • Article title
  • Journal title
  • Volume and issue number
  • Page range or article number, if available
  • Year of publication
  • DOI or permanent URL
  • License information

Recommended statement:

This article was published in the International Journal of Research in Vocational Studies (IJRVOCAS). The official version of record is available at: [DOI or journal URL].

5. Embargo Policy

IJRVOCAS does not impose an embargo period on the deposit of preprints, accepted manuscripts, or published versions. Authors may deposit and share their work immediately, provided that proper citation and attribution are included.

6. Permitted Repositories and Platforms

Authors may deposit or share their manuscripts and published articles through:

  • Institutional repositories
  • Subject or disciplinary repositories
  • Funder-designated repositories
  • Personal or professional websites
  • University or departmental websites
  • Academic networking platforms
  • ResearchGate, Academia.edu, ORCID, Google Scholar profiles, and similar scholarly platforms
  • Learning management systems for teaching and educational purposes

Authors should ensure that the deposited version is accurate, properly cited, and not misleading.

7. Licensing and Reuse

Articles published in IJRVOCAS are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), unless otherwise stated.

Under this license, users may share, copy, distribute, adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the published work for lawful purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), journal, DOI, and license.

8. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that any deposited version:

  • Clearly identifies the manuscript version
  • Includes proper citation information
  • Links to the official published version when available
  • Does not misrepresent the publication status of the manuscript
  • Does not violate copyright, third-party rights, or ethical standards
  • Includes appropriate acknowledgment of funding, if required

If the deposited manuscript includes third-party materials, authors must ensure that they have permission to deposit those materials or that such materials are covered by the relevant license.

9. Updating Repository Records

Authors are encouraged to update repository records after publication by adding:

  • The full citation of the published article
  • DOI or permanent link to the IJRVOCAS article page
  • License information
  • Any correction or retraction notice, if applicable

This helps readers identify and cite the official version of record.

10. Use in Teaching and Learning

Authors and readers may use IJRVOCAS articles in teaching, training, workshops, seminars, professional development programs, and learning management systems, provided that the original source is properly cited.

This policy supports the journal’s mission to advance vocational studies, applied professional education, workforce development, and industry-oriented learning.

11. Long-Term Preservation

IJRVOCAS supports long-term digital preservation of published content. The journal may archive published articles through digital archiving systems, repositories, indexing databases, and other preservation platforms to ensure continued access to scholarly content.

12. Final Statement

IJRVOCAS encourages authors to share their work widely and responsibly. Repository deposit and scholarly sharing help increase the accessibility, visibility, citation potential, and practical impact of research in vocational studies and applied professional education.