Frequently Asked Questions


What is DigitalCommons@ONU?

DigitalCommons@ONU is an institutional repository that stores and showcases the intellectual output of faculty, students and staff of Ohio Northern University.

Types of intellectual output supported include, but are not limited to:

For more information on submissions please see our submissions guidelines guide or email us.

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What are the benefits to submitting materials to the institutional repository?

Faculty

  • Adding your materials to DigitalCommons@ONU increases the visibility and discoverability of your work by allowing it to be indexed by google and google scholar, potentially resulting in higher citation rates and impact scores.
  • In addition to indexing your work more broadly amongst google platforms, DigitalCommons@ONU also grants you a persistent URL which allows you to easily find and share your research at no cost.
  • The increased visibility and accessibility of your work may lead to new partnerships on campus and worldwide as more scholars are able to more easily find and review your work.
  • As more government and private funding and granting agencies are implementing open publishing requirements DigitalCommons@ONU gives you a free way to meet those requirements by allowing you to deposit any parts of your research that is required to be openly available, such as datasets.

Students

  • Adding materials to DigitalCommons@ONU adds to your academic portfolio, strengthening your CV and resume, and can be helpful when applying for jobs, grants, graduate programs, and other professional opportunities by showcasing your abilities and contributions to your field.
  • Including your work in DigitalCommons@ONU may also help you find and develop new partnerships amongst your peer group and worldwide by showcasing the type and quality of research you are interested in conducting.
  • When you add your work to DigitalCommons@ONU, there is also the long-term benefit of gaining a persistent link to your showcased work, allowing you to easily find and share your work, even if you no longer carry the file(s) on your personal devices.

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What is the difference between DigitalCommons@ONU and other websites like ResearchGate?
  • Provides a centralized place to retrieve an institution’s intellectual materials.
  • DigitalCommons provides free analytics for authors with no additional fees.
  • Provides long-term stable storage, persistent linking, and preservation for the output from the institution.

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What do I need to do to add my materials? Is it time-consuming?

Adding materials is simple! Just contact digitalcommons@onu.edu and a librarian will assist with getting permissions if necessary, and uploading your work. For more detailed instructions please see our guide here.

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Can I withdraw items that I am listed as an author on from the repository?

DigitalCommons@ONU is designed to provide long-term persistent access to items deposited in the repository. However, there may be occasions where it will be necessary to remove an item. All requests for items to be removed must be sent to digitalcommons@onu.edu. For more information on our takedown policies, please visit our About page.

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Can I update or revise a submission?

Faculty/Staff

Please send an email to digitalcommons@onu.edu if you would like to revise your material.

Students

Any student work submitted to DigitalCommons@ONU must be the version approved by an ONU faculty or staff member or department or office. If revisions are necessary, the work must be resubmitted by the ONU entity that previously approved the submission. If you have any questions on this process, please send an email to digitalcommons@onu.edu.

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How do I log in to DigitalCommons@ONU?

To log in to DigitalCommons@ONU, select the My Account tab at the top of the page. If you are a current ONU student, faculty, or staff member, you can log in using your ONU username and password by using the appropriate link at the top of the My Account page. If you are not a member of Ohio Northern University, you'll need to log in using a Digital Commons account. If you do not already have one, you can create one on the My Account page.

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Who owns the copyright to the materials in DigitalCommons@ONU?

Copyright belongs to the author(s) of the work submitted unless they have transferred those rights. The institutional repository retains only a non-exclusionary right to display and preserve the items. Some publishing agreements do allow for a copy of your final work to be displayed in your institution’s repository. Items in the repository are protected by United States copyright laws.

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Can I still access the author dashboard for items I submitted if I'm no longer a member of Ohio Northern University?

Yes, if you are no longer a student, faculty, or staff member of Ohio Northern University, you can still access the author dashboard by setting up a Digital Commons account. Once you've set up your account, please email digitalcommons@onu.edu with a request to update and connect your items in the repository to your new account.

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