About Metamahal
What is Metamahal?
A publisher of research objects of every kind — books and chapters, proceedings, reports and theses, preprints and peer reviews, datasets, software, AI models, courses and films. Each one is reviewed in the way that suits it and published with a complete metadata record, linked to its other parts.
What does the name mean?
Meta — after, beyond, and the meta of metadata. Mahal — a mansion or a palace. Together, a mansion of well-described knowledge. More about the name.
Do you have published titles yet?
Not yet. Metamahal is new, and we will not show a catalogue until there is one. Our list begins with the first objects that pass review.
Who owns and runs Metamahal?
Metamahal is owned by Meta Mahal, a partnership firm registered in Telangana, India. It is managed by Aashrith Katakam. See ownership and management.
Identifiers and agencies
Are you a DOI registration agency?
No. Registration agencies are the organisations appointed through the DOI Foundation to register DOIs; twelve are listed today. We are a publisher: we prepare each record and register it with the agency that serves that kind of object.
Which agency registers my object?
Crossref for books and chapters, conference proceedings, reports, theses and working papers and preprints and peer reviews. DataCite for datasets and data papers, AI models and model cards, software, notebooks and protocols and learning and audiovisual works, and for posters and slides. New kinds of objects go to whichever agency offers the nearest record type. Metamahal is not yet a member of Crossref or DataCite; we register DOIs with them once we are members.
Are you a member of Crossref and DataCite?
Not yet. We will list our memberships here once we have them. Every object we publish is registered with the proper agency before it is announced.
My object already has a DOI. Can you publish it?
We will not register a second DOI for the same object — one object, one identifier. We can publish a new version that points back to it, or publish related objects (data, code, a review) and link them to it.
Review and quality
Do you really review datasets, software and models?
Yes. Data are opened and checked against their documentation; code is run from its own instructions; models are checked against their model cards, the rights to their training data and an evaluation that can be repeated. The checks for every room.
How long does review take?
It depends on the object and on the reviewers it needs. We give you an estimate with your quote and tell you as soon as anything changes.
Can you guarantee that my object will be accepted?
No. Acceptance depends on review, and payment never buys it. Your quote says in advance what is charged if an object does not pass.
Are your publications indexed?
We have no publications yet, so we make no indexing claims. Indexing services judge titles after they are published; we will not promise what only they can decide.
Are you a member of COPE?
Not at present. Our policies follow the COPE Core Practices; see our policies.
Costs, rights and licences
What does it cost?
A ten-chapter book and a single dataset are not the same work, so we quote for each object or collection. Ask for a quote — it is free and commits you to nothing.
Who keeps the copyright?
You do. You give us the right to publish under the open licence chosen with you.
Which licences do you use?
By default CC BY 4.0 for texts and media, CC0 or CC BY 4.0 for data, an OSI-approved licence for software, and an open licence named in the model card for AI models. The licence table.
Can a thesis or report be embargoed?
Yes, where an institution or funder requires it. We can publish the record first and the files when the embargo ends.
Records, languages and changes
What do you mean by rich metadata?
Everything a record can carry, not just what registration requires: people with ORCID iDs, organisations with ROR IDs, funders and award numbers, abstracts, references, licences, and named links to related versions, data, code and reviews. See one record drawn in full.
Can the record be in more than one language?
Yes. Titles, abstracts and keywords go in the language of the work and in English, and in further languages when you provide them.
May I use AI tools?
Yes, if you say which tool you used, for what and where, and take responsibility for the result. AI tools cannot be authors. Our AI policy.
What if I find a mistake after publication?
Tell us. Errors are corrected in the open, with a notice linked to the original; datasets, software and models are updated as new versions. How corrections work.
What will you not publish?
A second identifier for something that already has one; records about identifiable private people; community knowledge without the community’s consent; work you do not have the right to publish; and objects whose publication could cause serious harm.