Frequently Asked Questions


What is Scholarly Commons?

Scholarly Commons is Case Western Reserve University’s institutional repository. An institutional repository is an online archive that provides access to the scholarly output of any given institution. This repository includes scholarly content, such as journal articles, conference papers, book chapters, books, reports, and more, produced by faculty, staff, and students, as well as university sponsored journals and events. Scholarly Commons is an open access repository, meaning that content is freely available to anyone across the world.

For more information, please view Scholarly Commons Administration & Policies.

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Who can submit content to Scholarly Commons?

Contributors to the repository will vary depending on the specific collection or publication requirements. Please check the collection or publication submission requirements before submitting work. Generally, repository collections are open to CWRU faculty, researchers, staff, and students.

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Why should I deposit my content in Scholarly Commons?

There are many benefits to adding your content to Scholarly Commons:

  • Increase visibility. With Scholarly Commons, your work will be more easily accessible and findable online both to the CWRU community and internationally. The repository is indexed, allowing your work to be discovered via online search engines (i.e. Google).
  • Provide equitable access. Content is freely available online to anyone regardless of their ability to pay or their affiliation with a well-resourced institution or country.
  • Access to impact data. Author’s receive monthly email reports detailing engagement with their work(s) (i.e. downloads, citations, readership by country, etc.)
  • Assign persistent URL. All content in the repository will be given a persistent URL, ensuring long-term online access to your work. This also allows researchers to cite your work without concern that the object will be taken offline.
  • Grant long-term preservation. Kelvin Smith Library assumes an active role in electronically storing, archiving, copying and/or converting your digital content for preservation purposes. All objects are stored and managed as part of CWRU’s technology infrastructure.

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What type of content can I deposit?

Scholarly Commons collects all types of scholarly and creative output from CWRU faculty, researchers, staff, and students and from university publications. Acceptable content types include but are not limited to:

  • Journal articles
  • Open access department and student journals
  • Conference papers and presentations
  • Open access books or book chapters
  • White papers
  • Technical reports or research briefs
  • Faculty theses and graduate capstones
  • Open Educational Resources (OER)
For detailed information, please review the appropriate collection or publication submission requirements as each will have its own requirements and limitations. For any questions about acceptable content or whether your content fits the collection scope, please contact schoarlycomm@case.edu.

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What if my content was previously published and I signed a publisher agreement?

Even if your work was previously published, you may still be able to post it to Scholarly Commons. For any published works deposited, the publisher copyright policies will need to be checked to determine if, and in what form a work may be submitted to Scholarly Commons. KSL staff will consult with authors and research rights to make a determination. If you have a contract with your publisher, check to see what it permits or check Sherpa Romeo. If you have questions or need guidance, please contact scholarlycomm@case.edu and a librarian will work with you to review rights.

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How can I submit my work for deposit?

Visit our Submit Research page and select the appropriate collection or publication to submit. Contact scholarlycomm@case.edu with questions or suggestions.

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Can I deposit the datasets I used in my research as a way to share and preserve them?

Due to technical and financial limitations of Scholarly Commons, we recommend using OSF for long-term preservation of research data. We can ensure that your datasets are linked to any relevant research article or other output available in Scholarly Commons. To learn more about OSF, visit the OSF Research Guide or contact freedmancenter@case.edu.

For more information on datasets in Scholarly Commons, check the collection or publication submission requirements or contact scholarlycomm@case.edu. Visit CWRU's Data Research Management website for additional information and support on managing your research data.

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How long will it take for my work to appear in Scholarly Commons once I submit it?

This will depend. Work submitted through the self-submission form will take approximately 1 month to appear in Scholarly Commons. Please note that this time frame is an estimate and particular circumstances might delay the process (i.e. staff is out of office).

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Can I download objects from the repository?

Yes, all objects in Scholarly Commons are available for download at no-cost.

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Can authors change their name as it appears in the repository?

Yes, an author may change their name as it appears on the Authors Page. No documentation or reason needs to be provided. Contact scholarlycomm@case.edu with the name(s) currently listed on your materials in Scholarly Commons and the new name that you would like to be listed under. For more information on our Name Change Policy, please review Scholarly Commons Administration & Policies.

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