The following sets out Elsevier’s policy on ScienceDirect archiving and and includes information about when a subscriber’s relationship with ScienceDirect changes and a description of the third party archival agreements that Elsevier maintains. Please note: This policy applies only to journals published by Elsevier. Journals on the online service not published by Elsevier may have different terms and conditions.

Basic Policy

• Elsevier maintains a digital archive of the journals it owns and makes available over ScienceDirect.
• It is Elsevier’s intention to maintain the digital files of Elsevier journals in perpetuity, converting them as appropriate if the technology used for storage or access changes. The current format standards are XML and .pdf; most files are being retained in both formats.
• Elsevier understands the permanent availability of these archival files is of critical concern to its customers. Therefore, Elsevier made the commitment that, in the unlikely event that neither it nor ScienceDirect could assume responsibility for maintaining the archive, Elsevier would assure access to the archive via one or more repositories mutually acceptable to Elsevier and its independent board of library advisors. There are currently three such independent third party agreements
• Elsevier publishes many journals owned by scientific and medical societies. To the extent it has the right to do so, Elsevier includes these journals in ScienceDirect and maintains them in its digital archives in the same manner in which it maintains Elsevier journals. Should Elsevier cease to be the publisher for such a journal or cease to have electronic rights, it will use reasonable efforts to ensure that either the volumes published remain available through the ScienceDirect or that the owner makes them available on the same access terms via a new host and that the journal archive remains in the designated independent third party archives. Elsevier cannot guarantee the permanent availability of journals owned by others.
• If Elsevier sells or otherwise transfers ownership of an Elsevier journal to another publisher, it will use reasonable efforts to retain a non-exclusive copy of the digital archive for that title and make it available through ScienceDirect to existing subscribers. The title will also be retained in third party archives.
  
• If Elsevier ceases publication of an Elsevier journal, the digital archive will be maintained at Elsevier and be made available through ScienceDirect. Again, it would also remain in the third party archives.

Access Terms

• The ScienceDirect Content Fee provides certain entitlements to the journal issues for that publication year for the subscribed titles, including Backfiles. Under present policy, the subscriber is also given access to the archive of all issues from the previous four years of the journals even if they were unsubscribed. In all cases, the term “subscription” relates specifically to electronic, not paper, subscriptions.
• If the subscriber does not renew its electronic subscription to a particular title in the agreement but remains a ScienceDirect customer, then the subscriber’s access to the lapsed title is limited to the publication year(s) for which the subscriber paid a fee for an electronic subscription. This backfile access will be offered through the normal online system consistent with access to current subscribed content. 
• If the subscriber’s relationship with ScienceDirect expires, is not renewed or is terminated by the subscriber or ScienceDirect (except for violation of content integrity provisions), the subscriber may, at its option, acquire electronic copies of all or part of subscribed content that is still made available through the service for the year(s) for which the subscriber paid for an electronic subscription, provided it defrays the costs of preparing the data sets sought. Terms and conditions for licensing the data continue to apply including access and security. The electronic archive copy will be provided in the then-current format and may not contain all links and other features associated with the online version. Alternatively, the subscriber may continue to access the titles and years for which it paid a full subscription price online via the ScienceDirect platform for a modest annual fee based on the number of full text downloads in the immediately preceding year.
• Finally, subscribers that are participants in the Portico archiving program may use Portico to access the subscribed journals, again limited to the subscribed years. Note that titles to which the subscriber had access via a Subject or Freedom Collection do not have archival entitlements.