<article xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
  <front>
    <article-meta>
      <title-group>
        <article-title>Why Publish Baseprint Document Successions</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5014-4809</contrib-id>
          <name>
            <surname>Ellerman</surname>
            <given-names>E. Castedo</given-names>
          </name>
          <email>castedo@castedo.com</email>
        </contrib>
      </contrib-group>
      <permissions>
        <copyright-statement>© 2025, Ellerman et al</copyright-statement>
        <license>
          <ali:license_ref content-type="ccbylicense">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ali:license_ref>
          <license-p>This document is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.</license-p>
        </license>
      </permissions>
      <abstract>
        <p>Baseprint document successions offer benefits beyond preprints.
They can be used for other document types,
such as supplemental material and technical blog posts.
Additionally, researchers can access these citable documents
through multiple compatible websites and software applications.
Despite being distributed across independent platforms,
authors still retain exclusive control to amend their Baseprint successions.
Baseprint successions also provide key benefits of preprints,
including long-term preservation through archiving,
preservation of multiple document versions,
and the ability for authors to add new document versions.
This allows the research community to cite specific fixed versions
while also having the option to discover newer versions.</p>
      </abstract>
    </article-meta>
  </front>
  <body>
    <sec id="summary">
      <title>Summary</title>
      <p>Baseprint document successions are preserved in
  <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git">Git</ext-link>-compatible<sup><xref rid="ref-enwikiU003Agit" ref-type="bibr">1</xref></sup> repositories and archives.
  Three such examples are the <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://softwareheritage.org/">Software Heritage Archive</ext-link>,
  <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://github.com">GitHub</ext-link>, and <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://gitlab.org">GitLab</ext-link>.
  See the <xref rid="relationship-to-git">Relationship to Git</xref> section for more details.
  The data archived is the machine-readable content of a document, separated from
  how it is visually presented.
  The benefits of this separation are discussed in the <xref rid="diversity-of-reading-venues">Diversity of Reading Venues</xref> section.
  A key component to making this separation possible is discussed in the
  <xref rid="document-succession-identifiers">Document Succession Identifiers</xref> section.
  These identifiers can be used as permanent references similar to a
  <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Digital_object_identifier">DOI</ext-link><sup><xref rid="ref-enwikiU003Adoi" ref-type="bibr">2</xref></sup>.
  This extends one of the great features of traditional academic publishing,
  namely, the ability of researchers to reference
  a static archived document long into the future.</p>
    </sec>
    <sec id="diversity-of-reading-venues">
      <title>Diversity of Reading Venues</title>
      <p>Multiple independent websites and applications can access a Baseprint document succession
  to present the document in various ways.
  Baseprint successions are not tied to a single website,
  allowing readers the freedom to choose between alternative reading venues.</p>
      <p>As of 2024, JATS XML<sup><xref rid="ref-enwikiU003Ajats" ref-type="bibr">3</xref></sup> is used to encode the contents of Baseprint
  snapshots that make up a Baseprint succession.
  A Baseprint snapshot gives readers the choice
  between multiple web page formats,
  similar to the choice between
  <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov">PubMed Central (US)</ext-link>,
  <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://europepmc.org">Europe PubMed Central</ext-link>, and journal websites.</p>
      <p>Researchers with accessibility needs, such as those with vision impairments,
  benefit from a variety of websites and software applications.
  By encoding new research documents in a format like JATS XML, rather than PDF,
  certain websites and software applications can present a Baseprint document in ways
  that enhance accessibility.</p>
    </sec>
    <sec id="document-succession-identifiers">
      <title>Document Succession Identifiers</title>
      <p>A Document Succession Identifier (DSI)<sup><xref rid="ref-DSI_spec" ref-type="bibr">4</xref></sup>
  is an <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://www.softwareheritage.org/2020/07/09/intrinsic-vs-extrinsic-identifiers/">intrinsic persistent identifier</ext-link><sup><xref rid="ref-intrinsic_extrinsic_identifiers" ref-type="bibr">5</xref></sup> of a Baseprint document succession.
  It is a textual identifier similar to a
  <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Digital_object_identifier">DOI</ext-link><sup><xref rid="ref-enwikiU003Adoi" ref-type="bibr">2</xref></sup>
  or a web address URL.
  This document itself is archived as a Baseprint document succession with DSI:</p>
      <preformat>dsi:wk1LzCaCSKkIvLAYObAvaoLNGPc</preformat>
      <p>This is a <italic>base DSI</italic>, which identifies all snapshots within a Baseprint document succession,
  both current and future.
  Similar to textbooks and preprints,
  Baseprint document successions contain multiple editions (or versions) of a Baseprint document,
  each encoded as a
  <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://baseprints.singlesource.pub">Baseprint document snapshot</ext-link><sup><xref rid="ref-what_is_baseprint" ref-type="bibr">6</xref></sup>.
  A base DSI identifies all the editions of a document added to a Baseprint succession.
  Usually, readers are interested in the latest edition in the Baseprint succession.</p>
      <p>An edition number can follow a <italic>base DSI</italic> to identify a specific static edition.
  For instance:</p>
      <preformat>dsi:wk1LzCaCSKkIvLAYObAvaoLNGPc/1.1</preformat>
      <p>identifies the earlier edition 1.1 of this document. Edition 1.1 will never change.</p>
      <sec id="author-owned-identifiers">
        <title>Author-Owned Identifiers</title>
        <p>A Baseprint succession is a work by an author, as declared by the author over time.
    Unlike a traditional journal article, a Baseprint succession is not a single
    final published result.
    Unlike preprints on a preprint server,
    a Baseprint succession is not a sequence of deposits at a specific preprint server.
    A DSI identifies an author’s work independently of where it is stored or viewed.</p>
        <p>An author determines the editions in a Baseprint succession by digitally
    signing the Baseprint succession with an SSH signing key.</p>
      </sec>
      <sec id="multilevel-edition-numbering">
        <title>Multilevel Edition Numbering</title>
        <p>Multilevel numbering is found in the numbering of
    chapters, sections, and subsections (e.g., Chapter 2, Section 2.4, Subsection 2.4.3)
    as well as software release versions (e.g., software release
    2.19.2).
    Authors of Baseprint successions can use multilevel numbering to identify editions
    or stick to simple edition numbers of just positive integers,
    like textbook editions and preprint version numbers.</p>
        <p>Multilevel numbering is particularly useful when amending editions for a binary change
    between Baseprint document snapshots but not in the intellectual content.
    The DSI specification does not specify the meaning of different levels
    in edition numbers, except that larger integers come after smaller integers, and
    higher-level edition numbers identify subordinate sequences of lower-level edition numbers
    (e.g., the entire sequence of edition numbers 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, … can be identified by
    edition number 2).</p>
      </sec>
    </sec>
    <sec id="relationship-to-git">
      <title>Relationship to Git</title>
      <p>While Git is normally used to store source code revisions,
  it is not used for that exact purpose with Baseprint successions.
  Git is used as a pragmatic implementation layer because it can handle distributed
  data replication, digital signing, and cryptographic hashes.
  The only history stored in a Baseprint succession is primarily the history of additions of
  new editions to the succession.</p>
    </sec>
    <sec id="conclusion">
      <title>Conclusion</title>
      <p>Baseprint successions have been implemented and used by the author for years.
  Authors interested in publishing Baseprint successions can visit
  <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://try.perm.pub/">try.perm.pub</ext-link> to get started.</p>
      <p>For technical details on how DSIs are implemented, see the <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://perm.pub/1wFGhvmv8XZfPx0O5Hya2e9AyXo">Document Succession
  Identifier Specification</ext-link><sup><xref rid="ref-DSI_spec" ref-type="bibr">4</xref></sup>,
  <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://perm.pub/">Document Succession Git Layout</ext-link><sup><xref rid="ref-DSGL_spec" ref-type="bibr">7</xref></sup>,
  or the software library at
  <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://gitlab.com/perm.pub/hidos">gitlab.com/perm.pub/hidos</ext-link>.</p>
    </sec>
    <sec id="acknowledgments">
      <title>Acknowledgments</title>
      <p>This document was copyedited using
  <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://copyaid.it">CopyAid.it</ext-link>, which uses OpenAI GPT-4.</p>
    </sec>
    <sec id="changes">
      <title>Changes</title>
      <sec id="from-edition-1.1-to-2.1">
        <title>From Edition 1.1 to 2.1</title>
        <list list-type="bullet">
          <list-item>
            <p>The “digital succession” terminology has been updated to “Baseprint document succession”
        terminology.</p>
          </list-item>
        </list>
      </sec>
      <sec id="from-edition-2.1-to-2.2">
        <title>From Edition 2.1 to 2.2</title>
        <list list-type="bullet">
          <list-item>
            <p>XML restyling</p>
          </list-item>
          <list-item>
            <p>Minor changes in wording</p>
          </list-item>
          <list-item>
            <p>Discuss accessibility in reading venue section</p>
          </list-item>
        </list>
      </sec>
    </sec>
  </body>
  <back>
    <ref-list>
      <title>References</title>
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      <ref id="ref-what_is_baseprint">
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            </name>
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              <given-names>E. Castedo</given-names>
            </name>
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</article>
