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SU Scholar Information Guide

Information about Southwestern University's institutional repository.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I publish my work in SU Scholar?

  • Your work will be openly available. The link will not change, allowing you to share it on your resume, graduate school applications, website, or in any way you like.  
  • Publications are indexed by Google, Google Scholar, etc, and are easy to find.  
  • You retain copyright, and the work is still yours to do with as you please. For example, you may continue to revise it, and even to submit it for publication in a journal.

 

Can I nominate my own work, or does it have to be nominated by my professor?

  • You can self-nominate your work for inclusion in SU Scholar. 
  • No student work is published without final approval from the supervising professor.  
  • If student work involves ongoing faculty research or data that is not appropriate to share publicly, please speak with us about options.

 

Can I publish an article in a peer-reviewed journal that has already been published in SU Scholar?

  • You retain copyright to the work, so it can be submitted for publication elsewhere.
  • Some journals require that manuscripts not be previously published, although inclusion in a repository like SU Scholar is not necessarily considered a publication.
  • If you have concerns about a specific journal, please consult with us (suscholar@southwestern.edu) or your professor. 

 

What if my research involves human or animal subjects?

  • If your work involves human or animal subjects, you must have obtained approval from the Institutional Review Board for Human Research (IRB) or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). This approval must have been obtained prior to conducting research, not after. If you did not obtain this approval, please do not submit your work to SU Scholar.

 

What about scholarly work in other media? Does SU Scholar support formats other than print?

Yes. If you would like to publish images, scores, audio recordings, video recordings, or other items in SU Scholar, please get in touch (suscholar@southwestern.edu). 

Copyright Issues for Student Submissions

Citing a source is not the same as obtaining copyright permission! 

Often, there is a difference between using copyrighted material in an assignment you turn in for a class and republishing copyrighted material on the web. What is acceptable in your coursework may not be legal to publish in SU Scholar. Please speak with us about specific instances – librarians are available to consult with you about your rights and responsibilities.

The Smith Library Center will not knowingly publish works that violate U.S. copyright law. However, the ultimate responsibility to honor copyright rules and regulations lies with you, the author. If you use whole materials (images, video, audio, etc.) in your work that are protected by copyright, you must obtain permission from the copyright holder to republish them in your own work. 

When is it acceptable merely to cite your source, and when do you need to obtain copyright permission to use a source? It depends! For some common examples, see the information on the tabs.

When quoting from books, articles, websites, or other publications, be sure to give a complete citation that will allow the reader to locate your original source in its entirety.

When including reproductions of these types of sources, give a complete citation that will allow the reader to locate your source.

Media includes audio, sound recordings, software, video, etc. If sound bites or clips are not original (made by you), you will need to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s), which could include the performer, the composer, and the publisher. Music can be especially tricky, so don’t hesitate to ask for clarification.

For photos, artwork, sculptures, graphics, paintings, etc., you must comply with one of the following:

  • if an image is not original (created by you), you must cite it correctly and also obtain permission from the copyright owner, OR
  • you can include a URL in your publication, but not the image itself
  • A notable exception to this guideline pertains to public domain images. If you use a public domain image that has been published on the web, you may reproduce that image in your work as long as you cite it properly -- you do not need to obtain copyright permission from the person/entity which digitized the public domain image.

Almost every website includes copyright information. Please review the site carefully; just because something is freely available via the web does not mean it can be used without permission.

If you need to obtain permission from a copyright holder, this page from the Columbia University Libraries Copyright Advisory Office will be useful:
http://copyright.columbia.edu/copyright/permissions

If you have additional questions about these procedures, please contact us at SU Scholar (suscholar@southwestern.edu).

How to Submit

If a professor nominates your work and the library contacts you, just reply to the email, and:

  • complete the release form we send you and submit it.
  • email us the work (paper, audio, video, image, score, etc.).

If you are self-nominating your work, please contact us at suscholar@southwestern.edu.

Questions? suscholar@southwestern.edu