Policy
Metadata updates
How the metadata of a record is updated, versioned and kept, so that every change is traceable and nothing is lost.
Updated outubro 12, 2026 ·
Key points
- Journals update their records at any time; ORI keeps every version.
- Updates never change the identifier, the journal or the status.
- Every update is validated and traceable.
- Changes are published at once in every format.
Who can update
- The responsible journal, through its editors and registry operators in the dashboard, the WordPress connector or the API.
- The ORI team, to keep the registry consistent.
- Organizations cannot update records of other organizations.
Versions
- Each update creates a new version, recording the date, the person or system responsible and the fields changed.
- The version history is preserved and shown on the public record page.
- Concurrent changes are protected: an edit based on an outdated version is rejected (in the API,
If-Matchwith the version).
What never changes
- The identifier, the journal and the editorial status are not changed by a metadata update.
- Status changes (withdrawal, retraction) follow their own policy and always require a stated reason.
Quality
- Every update goes through the same validations as a new record: ORCID, ISSN and ROR check digits, normalized DOIs, dates in order and no duplicates.
- Journals are encouraged to complete their records with ORCID iDs, ROR IDs, licenses, references, funding and the full text.
Distribution
Updated metadata is published at once on the record page, in the exports (JSON, BibTeX, RIS) and in the API, and is offered to harvesters through OAI-PMH with its modification date.
Public history
The record page shows the history of the record: when it was created, when its status changed and which fields were updated. The complete versions are kept by ORI and included in the preservation packages of the record.