Research Guides: Scholars Junction: Before You Submit Work: Learn How

Introduction

Scholars Junction, MSU's Institutional Repository

Submitting work to Scholars Junction is quick and easy. But there are a few important things you should consider before you begin.

Read on to learn more!

1. Permissions and Copyright

If you're submitting previously published materials, know your journal's open access policy.
If you aren't sure, JISC's Open Policy Finder can help you find open access policies from many publishers.
Keep (and submit) copies of your journal's open access policies.
When you're submitting a previously published item, take a screenshot of the journal's open access policy page. You can submit that screenshot along with your item as a hidden supplemental file. That way, if policies change later, you have proof that the journal allowed deposit in an institutional repository when you submitted your item. (Keep a printed copy as well!)
Think about how you want your work to be used.
Assuming you still own the copyright to your work, publishing in Scholars Junction allows you to set the rules of what your users can do with your work. See the Access, Permissions, and Licensing guide to learn about your options, and be prepared to add a statement of your expectations to your submission.

2. Publishing Strategy

When selecting publication venues, examine their open access policies to ensure that you'll retain the right to submit a version of your work to an institutional repository.
Carefully select prospective journals whose policies are institutional repository-friendly. If the publisher's own website doesn't make it easy to find its open access policies, try JISC's Open Policy Finder.
Pay attention to your discipline's publishing trends as they relate to open access.
If journals in your discipline generally do not publish work that has appeared in an open access publication in any form, consider not submitting your work to Scholars Junction.

3. Potential Harms

While open access research can be a global force for good, it can also allow for potential misuse, misunderstanding, or misinterpretation of your work.

Items in Scholars Junction are indexed in Google and other search engines and are generally easy to find. Depending on the type and quality of your work, this can be a mixed blessing and may even expose you or others to unforeseen harm.

Mitigate your potential risk by considering the following examples before submitting work to Scholars Junction or any other open access repository.

Does your work involve human subjects?
All research involving human subjects must have been reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board. Include the project's IRB number in the Scholars Junction submission. If your work has not been reviewed or approved by IRB, do not submit it.
Does your work involve threatened or endangered species?
Be careful to exclude location information that could place endangered species at risk of harm from poachers and other bad actors.
Does your work include or mention politically sensitive topics?
Your work may be discovered in searches for charged words or phrases. Policymakers or other public figures may mention you by name on social media; members of the public may target you for harassment.
Might your work expose other humans to risk of harm?
When you work with people in other political, cultural, or religious contexts, - as co-creator, interviewer, etc. - keep in mind that topics that may not be sensitive in the United States may expose them to risk of harm in those contexts. Consider redacting or obscuring any information that might expose others to harm, or withholding your work from publication.

More Information about Scholars Junction

About Scholars Junction
A brief introduction to Scholars Junction, MSU's institutional repository.
Questions?
Visit https://ask.library.msstate.edu/scholcomm to ask questions and browse FAQs.

Scholars Junction: Before You Submit Work

Director of Open Scholarship Initiatives

Introduction

1. Permissions and Copyright

2. Publishing Strategy

3. Potential Harms

More Information about Scholars Junction

More Guides and Tutorials