Frequently Asked Questions


Can I post my journal article?

It depends on what the journal allows, which is specified in the author agreement. If it would not violate copyright as assigned in the author agreement, you're welcome to submit to Scholars Junction. Permissions for many publishers can be found at SHERPA RoMEO.

Most publishers do allow the “post-print” version to be deposited in a non-profit repository. A “post-print” is the peer-reviewed document before copy editing and formatting. This will be the final copy you sent the publisher, but not the published pdf.

For assistance determining the correct version to deposit, please contact Scholars Junction administrators.

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I don't have electronic versions of old working papers that I'd like to include in the repository. Is it okay to scan the printed page to a PDF file?

Yes— if you own the copyright. Scanning printed pages is a great way to create PDF files for inclusion in the repository. However, the copyright of older journal articles most likely was signed over to the publisher. You can seek publisher permission or submit a version of the article that was not the final published version.

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Can I deposit my research data in Scholars Junction?

Yes, data sets are allowed (and encouraged) in the repository; however, data sets need to be “scrubbed” of personally identifiable information (PII) before submission. You should also add a readme file to indicate if data sets require a proprietary software system.

Why do I have to agree to a distribution license?

In order to provide access to your copyrighted work, the library needs permission to publicly distribute your material. The license is non-exclusive and only provides for the library to post your material and, if ever needed, transform the file type to new standards. The library does not take any rights away from you and will only transform files to meet technological changes.

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When I copy and paste abstracts into the Submit form, some formatted text reverts to plain text. What's going on?

When copying abstracts from a word processing file or a PDF file, and pasting the text into the submission form, you are taking text from an environment that supports fonts and text style changes. Because the abstract is intended to be presented on the web, text styles must be specified using HTML codes.

If submitting an abstract in HTML format, please be sure to select the corresponding option on the submission form.

The following HTML tags are recognized by the system and may be used to format an abstract (use lowercase tags):

How to include HTML tags

HTML tags
<p> - paragraph
<p>This is the first paragraph.</p>
<p>This is the second paragraph.</p>

This is the first paragraph.

This is the second paragraph.

<br /> - line break
<p>This is a line of text with a linebreak here. <br /> This is text after</p>

This is a line of text with a linebreak here.
This is text after
<strong> - strong/bold
<strong>bold text</strong>

bold text

<em> - italics/emphasis
<em>italicized text</em>

italicized text

<sub> - subscript
Text with <sub>subscript</sub>

Text with subscript
<sup> - superscript
Text with <sup>superscript</sup>

Text with superscript

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How do I include accents and special characters in the abstracts and titles?

The repository software supports the worldwide character set (Unicode, utf-8). Accents, symbols, and other special characters may be copied and pasted into the abstract or title field from a word processing file or typed in directly. Windows users may also use the Character Map to insert these characters. Macintosh users may use the Character Palette (available via Edit > Special Characters in the Finder).

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How do I revise a submission?

If your submission has been approved and posted in the repository, contact the repository administrator with the new version.

If the submission has been submitted, but not yet posted, you may revise it via your My Account page:

  1. Locate the article on your My Account page, and click the title.
  2. Click Revise Submission from the list of options in the left sidebar.
  3. Enter your changes in the Revise Submission form, and click Submit at the bottom of the page to submit your changes. (You only need to modify the portion of the form that corresponds to the changes you wish to make.)

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How can I submit a multi-part file, such as multiple chapters for a book?

You have three options:

  1. Combine all the sections together as one Microsoft Word file or PDF file and submit that version.
  2. Upload the separate chapters or sections of the document as Associated Files. These files will appear on the web page alongside the first document. For more information about uploading associated files, see the next question.
  3. Combine all sections into a single complete file and also upload associated files. This option provides users the choice to view as they prefer.

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Can I post related files (sound clips, data sets, etc.) alongside the published article?

Yes. The system refers to these supplementary items as Associated Files. You will be prompted to submit Associated Files when you upload your submissions. The name of the files you upload will appear on the web site along with your short description of it. Viewers must have the necessary software to open your files.

Please be sure that there are no permissions issues related to use of the associated material. Sometimes, especially with images, you must seek permission to use the material before it can be posted.

Also note that where possible, items such as images, charts and tables that are referenced in the document (or otherwise an integral part of the document) should be included directly in the article itself and not posted only as associated files.

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A working paper in our repository site has been published in a slightly revised form in a journal. What should I do?

Many journals do not have any restrictions on working papers that preceded an article, especially if substantial revisions were made. You should check your author agreement with the journal to confirm there is no problem with leaving the working paper on the site. The repository would constitute noncommercial use.

Assuming the working paper does remain posted in the repository, it is a good idea to include the citation to the published article on the cover page of the repository working paper. Please contact the repository administrator to request this change.

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