Scope
The public repositories managed by Duke University Libraries are intended to provide long term access to and preservation of works of scholarship and other materials supporting the research and teaching mission of Duke University. To preserve the integrity of the scholarly record, works that are deposited in these repositories will only be withdrawn under a small number of circumstances.
Withdrawing items from repositories managed by Duke University Libraries
Items published and archived in library repositories are considered to be part of the scholarly record in the same way a published journal article or book would be and may have already been used and cited by other researchers. Consequently, they cannot be altered or removed except under the rare circumstances outlined below. Should any changes be necessary, they will be made transparently, accompanied by a note explaining the reason for the removal or modification — similar to a retraction notice in a journal. This ensures that anyone accessing a previously used or cited item can clearly understand what changes have been made.
Some reasons why a withdrawal request may be considered:
- The item contains information that is sensitive, restricted, or otherwise should not be public.
- The item is in violation of copyright or other laws, or of Duke University policies.
- The item has been proven to be fraudulent or plagiarized.
- Continued online access poses a legitimate and proximate threat to the safety or wellbeing of an individual.
Reasons that do not by themselves justify withdrawal:
- There was a typographical or other error that was only discovered after publication/archiving.
- Author/depositor is embarrassed by something they published or archived earlier.
- Someone is offended/embarrassed or potentially offended/embarrassed by the item.
- The item is outdated or superseded by a new version.
- In cases where authors have a new version that supersedes the previously posted one, they can archive the new item separately and request that a note be added to the superseded version to refer readers to the new one. The original item page will not be removed or hidden from public view unless it meets one of the conditions noted above.
- Author intends to publish elsewhere, so wishes earlier version to no longer be available.
If you wish to request withdrawal of an item in the repository, and believe it meets one of the conditions mentioned above, please complete the library’s Request to Withdraw Archived Content form. It will be reviewed by the appropriate library staff and/or the university’s DMCA agent, and you will receive a response within one week.
In some cases, items may be temporarily withdrawn from public view while the problem is investigated and then returned to public view if reasons for withdrawal are not deemed to meet the above standards.
For copyright-related takedown requests, you may also refer to Duke University's general Copyright/DMCA takedown policy.