Policies & Standards

GEST is committed to responsible handling of scholarly metadata and to supporting the integrity of the scholarly record. GEST expects information submitted through its services to be accurate, lawful and provided by authorised users or organisations. GEST does not determine the scientific validity of individual research articles on behalf of publishers. Responsibility for editorial decisions, peer review, authorship, research ethics and publication decisions remains with the relevant publisher, journal and editorial authorities. Where GEST becomes aware of material metadata concerns, it may request clarification or correction from the responsible client or publisher. GEST does not knowingly support fraudulent, misleading or unlawful metadata submissions.

GEST aims to maintain accurate and consistent scholarly metadata throughout its operational workflows. Submitted metadata may be validated for required fields, formatting, identifiers, URLs and other operational requirements before processing. Publishers and authorised clients remain responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the metadata they submit. When an error is identified, GEST may request corrected information or process an authorised metadata update through the applicable workflow. Corrections should preserve the integrity of the scholarly record. Changes should not be used to create misleading historical records or to conceal material publication information.

GEST treats DOI and identifier information as persistent scholarly metadata and maintains operational controls around identifier workflows. A DOI or other identifier must not be represented as valid unless it has been appropriately assigned or confirmed through the applicable workflow. GEST validates submitted DOI information against configured client and operational rules where applicable. Publishers and clients are responsible for ensuring that titles, landing pages and associated metadata accurately correspond to the identifiers being managed. Identifier metadata may require subsequent correction or update when publication information changes. Such updates should be submitted through the appropriate GEST workflow.

Scholarly records may occasionally require correction, withdrawal or other metadata updates. GEST supports controlled metadata maintenance so that authorised changes can be reviewed and recorded without unnecessarily destroying the historical integrity of the scholarly record. A publisher or authorised client requesting a material update should provide sufficient information to identify the affected record and the requested change. Where content has been withdrawn, the responsible publisher remains responsible for the editorial and publication decision. GEST may assist with the corresponding metadata workflow where applicable. Persistent identifiers should not be treated as ordinary disposable links. Updates should be handled through appropriate metadata correction or maintenance procedures.

GEST welcomes good-faith complaints concerning its services, metadata handling, administrative processes or service delivery. A complaint should identify the relevant organisation, service, record or transaction and provide enough information for GEST to investigate the concern. GEST may request additional information where necessary. Complaints will be reviewed by an appropriate responsible person within the organisation. Where a complaint concerns an operational decision, GEST may review the available records and relevant workflow information. This policy does not replace the editorial complaints or appeals procedures of individual journals or publishers. Where a matter falls outside GEST's operational responsibility, the complainant may be directed to the appropriate publisher, journal or service provider.

Use of GEST services is subject to applicable law and these terms. Users and client organisations are responsible for providing information that they are authorised to submit and process. Users must not knowingly submit fraudulent, unlawful, malicious or misleading information through GEST systems. GEST may validate, process, retain, correct or reject submitted information when reasonably necessary for service operation, security, compliance or metadata quality. GEST may suspend or restrict access where there is evidence of misuse, security concerns, unlawful activity or material breach of applicable terms. Nothing in these terms transfers editorial responsibility from a publisher or journal to GEST. Publishers remain responsible for their own publication content, editorial decisions and legal rights. GEST may update these terms when operational, legal or service requirements change.

GEST aims to handle information responsibly and only for legitimate operational, administrative, security and service purposes. Information submitted through GEST may include publisher details, journal information, scholarly metadata, author information and account information required to provide the requested service. Access to administrative information should be limited to authorised personnel according to operational requirements. GEST may retain operational records, audit information and metadata necessary for service continuity, security, accountability and correction workflows. Users should avoid submitting unnecessary sensitive personal information through metadata or service forms. Where applicable, GEST will take reasonable measures to protect information against unauthorised access, alteration or loss.

GEST provides scholarly metadata and related operational services. Information presented through GEST services should not be interpreted as a guarantee of acceptance, indexing, citation performance, publication quality or recognition by any external organisation. GEST does not control the independent decisions of publishers, journals, indexing services, DOI registration agencies or other external organisations. Information supplied by publishers and clients remains their responsibility. External links, third-party services and third-party decisions are outside GEST's direct control. GEST may change, improve or discontinue individual service features when reasonably necessary for operational, security, technical or organisational reasons.