Research Guides: Scholars Junction: How to Deposit Your Data Science Capstone Project: Learn How

Scholars Junction, MSU's Institutional Repository

Depositing your finished Data Science capstone project in Scholars Junction keeps it freely available to the public, ensures you'll always have a copy if you need it in future, and secures a place for you in MSU's scholarly history.

Read on to learn how to create your account and submit your project!

Step 1: Collect your materials

Make sure that you have all of the materials you'll need to deposit. Depending on your project and requirements, this might include:

Your final paper or report, preferably in PDF-UA format
Any additional files to be attached separate from your primary document:
These might include your data dictionary and/or code book, associated dataset(s), and/or any associated images or other files.

About Your Files

The files you submit should meet the following criteria.

All files must be free of proprietary or personally identifying information
Names, faces, and other PII in documents, images, and datasets should be anonymized, unless you have express written permission from the subject to expose their identity.
Each file you upload should be smaller than 2gb.
Most browsers won't easily upload files larger than 2gb. If you have a file that is larger than 2gb, leave it off your submission and contact sct@library.msstate.edu to have it added.
Executable files must be submitted in a .zip archive and include a ReadMe file.
This helps keep our servers and your readers secure.
Only include an unsigned signature page. Never upload the signed signature page!!
This helps protect your identity and that of your committee.
Only submit accepted work.
For capstone projects, this means you have submitted the project to your advisor and had it accepted.
Report file should be in PDF-UA format.
The "UA" stands for Universal Accessibility. PDF/UA files follow a logical formatting structure and include richer metadata, helping users read them with many different applications and devices and find them more easily with search engines. They are also compatible with assistive technologies including screen readers and speech recognition software.
You must own the copyright to everything you submit (including documents, data, images, etc.), have permission from the copyright holder, and/or correctly cite the author/creator.
Follow your field's standards for citations.

Step 2: Create your account

In order to submit an item to Scholars Junction, you will need an account. Visit the account creation guide to learn how.

Step 3: Complete the submission form

Depending on which type of work you're submitting, choose the correct submission form:

Submit a Data Science capstone project

You can also find the form from the Scholars Junction homepage - simply click Submit in the left sidebar and scroll to find the appropriate form

Screenshot of Scholars Junction with Submit link highlighted

About the Form

First, you'll need to agree to our submission guidelines and policies. In short, you agree that you are submitting your own original work to which you own the copyright, or that you have permission from the copyright holder to submit the work. You agree to allow us to store and distribute this copy of your work, and to update the format of it if needed for future archival.

To agree, check the box at the bottom of the page and click Continue.

You'll be brought to the main form. Please complete it with as much detail as you can. This information is vital in getting your work to display in search engine results and indicate to potential readers what it's about and why they should engage with it.

Guide to Form Fields

Most fields are self-explanatory, but you may benefit from additional context and instructions - here's a reference! (This only covers the most commonly used fields - if you have any questions about another field on the form, contact us.)

Title
Use headline style capitalization: "How To Submit Your Project"
Author
Your name and email should be autofilled; you may need to edit to include Mississippi State University as your institution.
If you have co-authors, click the Add Author button to add more.
Advisor
Your primary advisor or mentor on this project.
Document Type
Always "Capstone Project."
Abstract
Copy and paste the abstract from your thesis. This helps search engines index your submission. If your abstract includes special characters that do not display correctly, contact the Scholarly Communication Team and we'll work to make it right.
Rights Statement
Information about the rights you retain to this work, and those you allow your readers.
Comments
Any text that doesn't fit elsewhere can be placed here - for example, acknowledgements, or instructions for running files.
Publication Date
The date you received notification that your project was accepted by your advisor.
Embargo Period
To make your item immediately downloadable, enter the same date as the Publication Date.
If for any reason you do not wish to have your item immediately downloadable, add the date on which you want your file to automatically become available.
Funder
If you received financial assistance for your thesis or project (e.g., a federal or local grant), enter the name of the funding agency or institution.
Grant
If you received a grant for this project, enter its name and number.
Spatial Coverage
Enter the geographic region this project involves. This could be as general as a nation ("United States"), region ("Southeastern United States") or state ("Mississippi"), or as specific as a town ("Starkville, MS") or set of coordinates.
Temporal Coverage
Enter the time period covered by this research. This can be as general as a century ("20th Century" or "1900-1999") or decade ("1980s," "1980-1989"), or as specific as a single date ("3/10/2025").
Requires
If your files require specialized software to run, describe it here.
College
Select the college to which your major belongs. (If you have multiple majors, you can select multiple colleges!)
Department
Same as for College - select as many as needed.
Research Center
Same as College and Department - select as many as needed.
Keywords
Subject keywords that can give users and search engines a good indication of the main topics of your work.
Disciplines
Choosing Disciplines makes your work visible in the Digital Commons Network. It is not required, but can bring your work a wider readership. Choose as many as is appropriate for your work.

Step 5: Wait for processing

Once you've completed your submission, you'll be brought to the confirmation page. Here you can see the metadata you entered and, if necessary, revise your submission. Note: Once your submission is processed and published, you will not be able to directly edit it. Email sct@library.msstate.edu if you need to make any changes after the item is published (and be sure to include a link to the item)!

Your item must be approved by a Scholars Junction administrator (most likely, me). Ideally, this should only take a few days, but may take longer depending on demand.

As part of the process, a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) will be created for your item. This permanent link ensures that even if Scholars Junction changes platforms, your work will still be available. The DOI will be added to your item record and emailed to you - you can put it on your resume or curriculum vita, post it on your website or social media - disseminate it wherever you wish!

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: How to Deposit Your Data Science Capstone Project

Director of Open Scholarship Initiatives