NBME implements comprehensive digital preservation strategies ensuring long-term accessibility and integrity of published scholarly content according to international archiving standards.

Preservation Infrastructure: Primary preservation relies on geographically distributed server networks with real-time replication, automated backup systems, and redundant storage across multiple data centers. Technical infrastructure meets international standards for digital preservation including OAIS (Open Archival Information System) compliance and format migration capabilities.

Preservation Partnerships: NBME participates in collaborative preservation networks including:

• LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) distributed preservation network
• CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS) global archive
• Portico digital preservation service for long-term access guarantee
• National library partnerships for geographically distributed backup
• Institutional repository agreements for federated preservation

Format Standards: Digital preservation employs multiple format strategies including:

• PDF/A-1b for long-term document preservation and accessibility
• XML full-text with embedded metadata for enhanced discoverability
• EPUB formats for enhanced reading and accessibility features
• Raw data preservation in standard formats for reproducibility
• Migration protocols for emerging format standards

Metadata Preservation: Comprehensive metadata preservation includes Dublin Core standard descriptive metadata, DOI registration for permanent linking, author identification through ORCID integration, subject classification using international taxonomies, and citation linking through CrossRef participation.

Access Guarantees: NBME provides minimum 20-year preservation commitments with documented succession planning for extended preservation beyond initial guarantee periods. Emergency access protocols ensure content availability during technical failures or business disruptions through automated failover systems and partnership agreements.

Integrity Verification: Systematic integrity checking includes regular checksum verification, format validation testing, link verification protocols, and comprehensive audit trails documenting all preservation activities and format migrations.