1. This is an institutional repository for HKUST.
2. The repository focuses on, but is not restricted to:
   • Journal articles
   • Datasets
   • Book chapters
   • Conference and workshop papers
   • Theses and dissertations
   • Research and technical reports
   • Patents
   • Preprints
   • Presentations in conferences and seminars
   • Working papers
3. Deposited items may include:
   • working drafts
   • submitted versions (as sent to journals for peer-review)
   • accepted versions (author's final peer-reviewed drafts)
   • published versions (publisher-created files)
4. Pre-published versions of published items are tagged as such.
5. Principal Languages: English; Chinese

This governs the use of the metadata (i.e. the information describing items in the repository)

1. Anyone may access the metadata free of charge.
2. The metadata may be re-used in any medium without prior permission for not-for-profit purposes provided the OAI Identifier or a link to the original metadata record are clearly provided.

This governs the use of documents in the IR.

1. Anyone may access full items free of charge.
2. Copies of full items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed, and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided:
   • the authors, title and full bibliographic details are given
   • a hyperlink and/or URL are given for the original metadata page
   • the content is not changed in any way
3. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without formal permission of the copyright holders.
4. This repository is not the publisher; it is merely the online archive.

This is concerning depositors, quality and copyright

1. Items may only be deposited by faculty, staff and PhD students.
2. Authors may only submit their own work for archiving.
3. The administrator only vets items for the eligibility of authors/depositors, relevance to the scope of the repository, and the exclusion of spam.
4. The validity and authenticity of the content of submissions is the sole responsibility of the depositor.
5. Items may not be deposited until any publishers' or funders' embargo period has expired.
6. Any copyright violations are entirely the responsibility of the authors/depositors.
7. If the repository receives proof of copyright violation, the relevant item will be removed immediately.

1. Items will be retained indefinitely.
2. The repository will try to ensure continued readability and accessibility.
   • Items will be migrated to new file formats where necessary.
   • It may not be possible to guarantee the readability of some unusual file formats.
3. The repository regularly backs up its files according to current best practices.
4. The original bitstream is retained for all items, in addition to any upgraded formats.
5. Items may not normally be removed from the repository.
6. Withdrawn items are not deleted per se, but are removed from public view.
7. Withdrawn items' identifiers/URLs are retained indefinitely.
8. URLs will continue to point to 'tombstone' citations, to avoid broken links and to retain item histories.
9. Changes to deposited items are not permitted.
10. Errata and corrigenda lists may be included with the original record if required.
11. If necessary, an updated version may be deposited.
    • The earlier version may be withdrawn from public view.
    • The item's persistent URL will always link to the latest version.
12. In the event of the repository being closed down, the database will be transferred to another appropriate archive.