Gonzaga University Institutional Repository FAQ

What is Gonzaga's Institutional Repository

The Institutional Repository (IR) is a centralized hub that collects, provides access to, and preserves the work of Gonzaga University faculty, staff, students, and campus at-large in line with the university’s mission and values, especially in the commitment to social justice, diversity, intercultural competence, global engagement, and solidarity to the poor. Open access repositories have been acknowledged as leaders in ensuring the long-term access to scholarship and works and for reducing barriers to high-quality information for researchers and students, and we are eager to contribute to that legacy in the world of scholarly communication and publishing.

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Why deposit in the IR

There are many reasons to deposit materials in the repository, but the three most common reasons are discovery, access, and preservation.

Materials in the IR are full-text searchable via academic and web-indexing services, which means that your work may be discoverable through traditionally academic and non-traditionally academic methods, increasing its visibility.

The Gonzaga University IR is an open access full-text repository, meaning that content is fully and permanently accessible in accordance with open access principles and publisher permissions. For individuals or institutions without access to your work via traditional library publishing agreements and subscriptions, depositing it in the repository offers alternate routes to information not blocked by paywalls and fees.

Finally, while the common myth that “the internet is forever” persists, in reality, links rot, content disappears, and older information drops lower and lower on algorithmic search result lists. The IR acts as a permanent preservation hub for your work in multiple ways, including providing you a stable permalink to your materials (each URL in the IR is unique and will not change), a dark archive to protect the integrity of your works over time where other storage methods may experience quality deterioration, data loss, or format depreciation.

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How can I participate in Gonzaga's IR

To have your work incorporated into the IR, faculty and staff can send a copy of their most recent CV to the Institutional Repository email address (repository[@]gonzaga[.]edu). You can also send items to that address one-by-one or a few items at a time, whatever works best for you.

We also welcome material from campus units including colleges and schools, departments, centers, institutes, and offices. To start a conversation about including a unit’s content in the IR, please email Elizabeth Wawrzyniak (wawrzyniak[@]gonzaga[.]edu).

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Is my work appropriate for the IR

All scholarly, pedagogical, and creative content from Gonzaga-affiliated faculty, staff, and campus units are eligible for inclusion in the IR. This includes work from your time at Gonzaga as well as from previous institutions or positions prior to GU.

Historical or operational documents and artifacts from campus units may also be appropriate for the IR. Please reach out if you are unsure as we may also connect areas with the Digital Archives for preservation and access.

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What types of content or files can be deposited

The IR can host all types of files and content. PDFs are the most common type of files in the IR, but other document types, data structures, audio and visual files, and more can be uploaded. Additionally, portfolios, web-pages, code, and executable files can be uploaded in zip format.

If you have content that you would like added to the IR, but have questions about the file-format, please contact the Institutional Repository (repository[@]gonzaga[.]edu).

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What happens after I deposit my materials

After we receive your CV or submitted items, our staff will go through them and identify the copyright status of each. Our ability to deposit your work into the IR will depend on each publisher’s individual permissions policy.

We are able to put any item published Open Access, with a CC or equivalent license, into the IR in its final published format. However, individual publisher policies may limit us to depositing a non-Version of Record version of your work. In these cases, we will search for the Accepted Version or Submitted Version and may contact you to acquire it. We may also need to contact individual publishers for permission to put your work into the IR. Unless specifically required by the publisher, you will not need to contact publishers yourself. We cannot, however, negotiate copyright or permissions on your behalf.

After we determine that we are able to include the item in the repository, or have received permission to do so, our staff will follow our Accessibility workflow to transform documents and files into formats that can be interpreted by adaptive technologies like screen-readers. This can include steps like writing Alt-text for graphics or images, or adding subtitles to videos. Once the file meets accessibility standards, a record will be created in the repository and the file will be uploaded and published to the IR site.

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What is included in each IR record

An entry in the Gonzaga IR is referred to as a record, and each record consists of two parts: the file and the metadata that describes the file and its contents. The IR will not create a record for an item if a full-text (or other file-type) cannot be uploaded and made available. The IR will not link out to full-text files on external sites (with a limited exception for materials added to the Climate Bibliography before January 2023).

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What metadata will be included

Each item record in the IR is accompanied with bibliographic, descriptive and other metadata that will increase its discoverability by others. Repository staff will make sure that all available item bibliographic metadata is included in the final item record, including a Persistent Identifier (PID). Where available, staff will include descriptive metadata (such as an abstract or keywords) however, the IR is not able to create descriptive metadata for an item. If you would like to add an abstract or keywords to the item record for your work in the IR, please contact our staff (repository[@]gonzaga[.]edu).

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What is a Persistent Identifier (PID)

A persistent identifier (or PID) is a stable and permanent link to an item. You may already be familiar with some types of PIDs including ISSNs, ISBNs, and ORCID iDs. One specific types of PID in scholarly research is the DOI (Digital Object Identifier); many journals create and register DOIs for the articles and other items they publish. While DOIs (where available) are included in the metadata record for items in the Gonzaga IR, each item is also given a unique and permanent PID in the form of the item’s URL (ex: https://repository.gonzaga.edu/president/2/). This link operates on the same principle as a DOI and can be used interchangeably when sharing or referencing your work.

In some cases, it may be necessary to create and register a DOI for an unpublished work or other item. We are able to mint DOIs on a case-by-case basis. If you believe that you need a DOI created for a piece of your research or scholarship, please contact our staff (repository[@]gonzaga[.]edu).

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What are my rights as an author

As an author, you hold copyright over your works. Your copyright is automatic--you do not need to apply for, register, or declare anything in order to claim copyright over your work.

You retain exclusive copyright over your work until or unless you transfer the copyright or license your work to someone or something else. In many cases, publishing agreements involve the transfer of some or all of your copyright to the publisher. The author’s agreement you sign with a publisher of a journal or book will outline which rights you retain (if any) and which rights you transfer, and whether you have also transferred exclusivity with them.

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What are my rights as copyright holder

Your exclusive copyright over your work exists as a bundle of rights1 which are distinct from each other, can be transferred or licensed to another entity individually or together at your discretion. From the moment your original work exists in a fixed and tangible form, your copyright includes the exclusive right to:

  • Reproduce your work
  • Make derivatives of your work
  • Distribute copies of your work
  • Perform your work in public
  • Display your work in public
  • Make and share digital audio versions of your work

Each of these rights can be transferred or licensed to another entity (a publisher, for example) individually, without affecting the rest of the bundle. Additionally, you may transfer or license these rights as non-exclusive, retaining your ability to exercise your rights as copyright holder.

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What if I don't hold the copyright on my work

If your agreement with a publisher, or other entity, included the transfer of some or all of your copyright on a work, that may limit our ability to make it available in the IR. However, we may be able to include a non-published version of your work, such as a submitted or accepted version that does not include final publisher formatting and typesetting.

The work of determining the copyright status of each of your works, and what publisher policies are for each work, will be done by the IR staff. While we don’t make sharing author agreements mandatory, the information in these documents can help us identify what rights have been retained by you and what rights have been transferred, as well as which version of your work we are able to make available in the IR. In cases where we are not able to put up the final, published version (the Version of Record), our staff will reach out to you to ask if you have a copy of the submitted or accepted manuscript version.

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How do I retain my rights as an author

There are ways for authors to retain some or all of their copyright when publishing their work. The most obvious way is to publish with Open Access journals and publishers. This route often requires the payment of an article processing charge (APC), which can inhibit the ability of individuals to pursue that route.

If you’re in the process of submitting your work for publication to a non-open access publisher, you can use the SPARC Author Addendum (https://sparcopen.org/our-work/author-rights/brochure-html/) to attempt to modify the copyright transfer agreement and retain your rights as the copyright holder. You may be able to negotiate to keep some or all of your original copyright over your work.

If you have already published your work and transferred some or all of your copyright to the publisher, some publishers will allow an author to pay a fee and make a work published under a traditional publishing agreement Open Access.

To find out more about how you can retain copyright over your works, contact the Institutional Repository (repository[@]gonzaga[.]edu). Our staff will be happy to meet and discuss your options with you.

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What are the different versions of a work that might be in the IR

The final, published version of a work is called the Version of Record (VoR). This is the version that appears in the official publication, whether print or digital. This version is considered authoritative, and reflects the editing, typesetting, and formatting of the publisher, including official pagination. In ideal cases, such as where published Open Access, the author retains copyright, or individual publisher policies allow, the IR will put up the VoR.

Many publishers do not allow authors to deposit the VoR in online spaces, including institutional repositories. But their policy may allow the deposit of an earlier version of the work.

A Postprint is a version of a work that has been submitted for publication, undergone peer review (if applicable), and has incorporated feedback from editors and reviewers. It has not yet gone through typesetting and formatting. Sometimes this version of a work is referred to as the Accepted Manuscript. The terms are often used interchangeably.

The Preprint version is one that has not gone through or completed the peer review or editing process. It represents author’s original version of the work, or a very early revision. Often times the term is used interchangeably with Submitted Manuscript.

Repository staff will examine the policies of each publisher on your CV to determine which version of a work we are able to make available in the IR. We will search to see if you or a co-author has already shared the earlier version first, and contact you if we are unable to find one.

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What is the copyright status of materials in the repository

Gonzaga University and the Institutional Repository do not hold copyright over items in the repository unless specified.

Any reuse of the materials in the IR is governed by the U.S. or International copyright laws as applicable and the license for reuse stated on the material. Any requests for reuse beyond licensed permissions should be directed to the copyright holder for the material.

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What restrictions are there on content in the Institutional Repository

There are cases where publishers will deny our request to make a work available in the repository, or where they grant permission to include a Pre- or Postprint but we are not able to acquire these versions from an author. In those cases, we will not be able to include the material in the IR.

Additionally, there may be cases where a publisher indicates that we can link to a work that is accessible online but not under an Open Access license. Because in those cases a publisher is able to alter the accessibility of the work at any time, including closing access to it, the IR will not link out to works elsewhere on the web in order to remain true to our commitment to creating an open full-text repository.

Finally, with respect to the role of the IR as a portal to work produced with the support and resources of Gonzaga University and thereby a reflection on the mission, vision, and values of the university, Foley Library administration – functioning as a steward of campus resources – reserves the right to refuse inclusion of works that are not connected to Gonzaga University or that are determined to be in direct contradiction to the mission, vision, and values of the university.

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What is a Creative Commons License

Creative Commons (CC) Licenses were created to give authors and creators more control over how their works are used, distributed, and re-used. There are six different license types with scaffolded levels of permissiveness. There is no process to apply for or place a CC License on something over which you have copyright.

Repository staff will contact you to ask for your preferred CC License, or if you prefer a statement indicating that you reserve copyright, for all items where copyright belongs to you. We recommend selecting a CC BY license as it is the most open and permissive, or CC BY-NC if you prefer to restrict use and reuse of your works only to non-commercial interests. You can select whichever license best suits your needs however, please be aware that once a CC License has been applied, it cannot be changed.

You can learn more about the Creative Commons and CC licenses at the Creative Commons website (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/).

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What is the IR's policy regarding name changes

When you first submit your material to the IR, a staff member will contact you to ask your preferred format of your name.

After this initial step, if you would like to change your name, you can reach out to the Repository (repository[@]gonzaga[.]edu). We do not require any university or legal documents in order to make the change. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the IR infrastructure, names need to be changed on each item individually. Therefore, in order to make the process scalable for our staff, we will ask for a list of all items in the IR where the name change will need to be applied.

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Can student work be deposited in Gonzaga's IR

Yes, student work can be deposited in the Gonzaga IR if sponsored by a faculty member. Examples might include research posters presented at the annual Undergraduate Research Showcase, independent research projects, capstone projects, and more.

For more information, contact the repository (repository[@]gonzaga[.]edu).

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Can my work be withdrawn

Deposit to the Gonzaga Institutional Repository is considered permanent, and content cannot be withdrawn. In limited cases, access to the full-text of an item can be restricted to campus but the record with corresponding metadata will remain open and accessible. Requests will be considered on an item-by-item or case-by-case basis.

For more information, contact repository staff at repository[@]gonzaga[.]edu.

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Can access to my work be restricted

We can restrict access to your work upon request. While the intent behind the Gonzaga Institutional Repository is to create a publicly accessible and open archive of Gonzaga-affiliated materials, in some cases it is necessary to limit access to a work. This might include privacy concerns, intellectual property concerns, and collaboration concerns, among others.

Works with access-restrictions will still have metadata records that are searchable and discoverable through traditional discovery platforms and methods, but the content of the record (i.e., the article, dataset, etc.) will not be indexed by these practices.

We are able to restrict access to works in the following ways:

Restriction by IP address

We are able to limit access to the range of Gonzaga University IP addresses. In this case, users can use Gonzaga access points or their own laptops and/or mobile devices with a connection not the Gonzaga wireless network service to view and download material with this restriction. Additionally, off-campus users connected to Gonzaga’s network via OpenFortiVPN (https://my.gonzaga.edu/campus-resources/information-technology-services/software-and-services/remote-access/forticlient-vpn)

Restriction by authorized users

We are able to limit access to one or more authorized users. In this case, individual user accounts will be granted access as requested by the author.

Restriction by date

Also known as an embargo, we are able make a work unavailable until a specified date. All users will be unable to access the content until the date indicated, when it will automatically go live.

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What if there is an embargo on my work

Sometimes publishers may state that the VoR or other version of a work may be made available after a period of time known as an embargo. Embargos can vary by length, but usually fall in-between 6 and 18 months. You do not need to know if there is an embargo on your material before submitting it to the IR, our staff will identify this as a part of our routine process.

We are able to create metadata and records for works that are under embargo, and make the metadata and record available for access. But the full-text of the work will not be available until the end of the embargo. A note indicating when the full-text will be available will be visible near the usual Download button.

Footnotes

  • Kyle Courtney's terminology ^