Who Can Submit

JSU Digital Commons is open to submission of content from JSU faculty, staff, students, or any University department, unit or organization. Those who collaborate with the University in an official capacity may also be permitted to contribute content.

Submission Types

JSU Digital Commons seeks to offer access to content that represents the University’s intellectual and creative output. Acceptance and access is contingent upon appropriate formatting, metadata, and clearance of copyright and any other intellectual property issues. Examples of typical scholarly, research, and artistic content include, but are not limited to:

  • Publications – Journal articles, books, book chapters, etc. These may include previously-published articles/chapters, pre-prints and post-prints.
  • Theses & Dissertations – The Library seeks to preserve and provide access to all University theses and dissertations. The Library works in concert with Graduate Studies and individual departments to solicit and provide access to this content.
  • Lectures & Seminars
  • Conference Papers, Posters & Presentations – Digital versions of conference papers and posters, as well as video/audio of conference presentations and supporting materials (eg, PowerPoints, handouts).
  • Open Access Journals – Open access journals produced by JSU faculty, staff, or students.
  • Campus-based publications – Campus-based publications (eg, newsletters, institutional reports, etc.) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • Open Educational Resources – The repository may be used to house University course-based information and open educational resources.
  • Data sets – Size and format limitations may be placed on data sets, and they must be complete, appropriately formatted for use, and cleared for access.
  • Podcasts – Podcasts that fall within collection scope may be considered for inclusion.

How to Submit

Step 1.

Valid JSU Digital Commons credentials are necessary in order to submit items. You may set up an account using the “My Account” link in the top navigation bar. If you experience difficulties setting up your account, please reach out via the Contact Us form.

Step 2.

Content must be submitted in an acceptable digital format. Preferred formats include Microsoft Word, Rich Text Format (RTF), or Adobe Acrobat (PDF). If you use a different word-processing program, look for an "export" or "save as" option to export or save as one of the file types above. Accompanying materials such as PowerPoints, Excel data spreadsheets, etc. can also be accommodated through the “Additional Files” feature. We do not blanket-restrict any particular digital format, but certain format types may be deemed out of scope.

In some cases, we may be able to offer assistance with conversion into an acceptable format. Please Contact Us if you have questions or would like to discuss file formatting.

Step 3.

Use the Submit Research link in the Author Corner to upload your content. Contributors must provide appropriate descriptive information to ensure their content is searchable and discoverable. Each submission requires:
  • Title (please use title case format, rather than lowercase or all caps)
  • Author information (author names, affiliations, departments, etc.)
  • Abstract (250 words or less is preferred), an abstract is imperative for searching – this is how Google and other search engines make your work accessible, so users can find and use it.
  • Publication information, where applicable (journal titles, issue numbers, book publishers, publication dates, conference/presentation locations, etc.)

You may also submit supplemental files along with your main file. Use the “Additional Files” option if you wish to include such files (eg, a PowerPoint to go with a conference presentation).

Step 4.

Acknowledgement is required that all requisite copyright and/or intellectual property clearance has been obtained for the deposited content. JSU Digital Commons provides open access to its content; this involves contributors being willing and able to grant non-exclusive rights to preserve and make their work publicly available.

Most commercial publishers will not allow the final, published PDF files to be deposited in an institutional repository for public access. This is the case with the American Chemical Society, American Psychological Association, Elsevier, Institute of Physics, Oxford, Routledge, Sage, Springer, Taylor & Francis, and Wiley, to name a few. These publishers do allow the final revised manuscript (including changes made after peer review) to be deposited.

There are other publishers who will permit the deposit of finished versions (eg, American Mathematical Association, American Physical Society, Chicago University Press, Rockefeller University Press).

The Open Policy Finder website lists most publishers’ permissions policies, so is an easy reference for this type of information. For those publishers not listed with Open Policy Finder, check the publisher’s website or contact the journal directly.

More detailed information about copyright and intellectual property can be found in the Library’s Digital Collections Policy. Questions regarding copyright or intellectual property can be submitted by using the Contact Us form.

Author Notification

After you submit, we will review your submission. If it meets the requisite criteria, we will publish it on the site. You will be notified by e-mail when your submission has been posted to JSU Digital Commons. In the event that there are problems with your submission, the Library will reach out to you via email to resolve any issues and ensure the content can be posted.

What If I Need Help?

If neither our Digital Collections Policy nor the Author FAQs answers your questions, we also offer detailed online guides:

If none of these resources offers the information you need, please feel free to Contact Us. We’re here to help.