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FAQs

General

How do I contact someone about an issue in the FSU Digital Repository?

How do I run a full-text search in the FSU Digital Repository?

Can I limit my search to a specific newspaper title?

How do I search the full text of newspaper issues?

I clicked on the year of the newspaper title I want to browse and nothing happened.

If I don't have a specific search term in mind, how can I browse all items of a specific type? (eg. browse only digitized maps)

Who can deposit to the Research Repository?

Can I download files?

Is the repository publicly accessible?

Are objects often removed from the repository?

The submission form is quite long, do all the fields needs to be filled?

What can I do if I encounter content or descriptions which are outdated, potentially harmful, or offensive?


Authors

How do I update previously uploaded content?

What file types can be submitted through the form?

How are my deposited works indexed?

How long does it take for my submitted work to be uploaded and accessible in the Research Repository?

How are usage metrics counted for my deposited works?


Embargoes

What is an embargo?

Who can request an embargo?

What types of embargoes are there?


Theses and Dissertations

My degree was awarded at FSU but I can't find my thesis or dissertation in the FSU Digital Repository. Where is my document?

Can I have permission to access a specific thesis or dissertation?

How do I make my thesis or dissertation available?


Copyright

I am a researcher and I would like to reuse a work found in the FSU Digital Repository. Can FSU grant me permission?

What are the Creative Commons licenses and what do they do?






How do I contact someone about an issue in the FSU Digital Repository?

You can use the form in the Contact Us link to submit an issue or send an email directly to lib-support@fsu.edu.

How do I run a full-text search in the FSU Digital Repository?

Advanced search is the only way to search full text in any object in the FSU Digital Repository. It can be found in the upper navigation bar, above the general search box. In Advanced search, you can search metadata+full text or just full text by selecting your option from the dropdown menu. You can limit your search to the collection level as well.

Can I limit my search to a specific newspaper title?

Depending on the newspaper title, you may not be able to limit your search to a specific newspaper title right now. However, you may search for the title of the newspaper and then limit your search results to Type: Newspapers. Doing so from the general search bar however will not search the full text of the newspaper issues, just their metadata.

How do I search the full text of newspaper issues?

Advanced search is the only way to search full text in any object in the FSU Digital Repository. It can be found in the upper navigation bar, above the general search box. In Advanced search, you can search metadata+full text or just full text by selecting your option from the dropdown menu. Once you have your search results, you can limit by Type: Newspapers and/or if your newspaper title is listed as a collection.

I clicked on the year of the newspaper title I want to browse and nothing happened.

Depending on the number of years available for a newspaper, you may click on a year and nothing seems to happen. You will need to scroll back to the top of the screen for the issues to appear.

From the home page, click on "View All Items". Select the desired "Type" in the sidebar to browse all items of any genre.

Who can deposit to the Research Repository?

Anyone who is a member of the FSU community with a valid FSUID can log into the submission form and upload their work to the repository. Work can also be uploaded by a non-author as long as they too have an FSUID.

Can I download files?

Yes, however it does depend on the object. Images, PDF files, theses and dissertations, and some audio and video files are available for download from the FSU Digital Repository. You will find the download link on the item's page in the repository. You cannot download a book or full text from a book at this time.

Is the repository publicly accessible?

Yes. There are access restrictions on specified items, see Embargo

Are objects often removed from the repository?

Please refer to the FSU Digital Repository's Takedown Policy for information about the circumstances which may prompt an item to be removed from the repository. Generally speaking, it is uncommon for items to be removed from the Repository.

The submission form for the Research Repository is quite long, do all the fields need to be filled?

No, depending on the type of content you are uploading, some of the fields are unnecessary. The form was designed primarily with journal articles in mind. Fields that are required have red asterisks next to them.

What can I do if I encounter content or descriptions which are outdated, potentially harmful, or offensive?

Please see our statement on potentially harmful content to find out more about how we are working to address these concerns and complete our feedback form.


How do I update previously uploaded content?

Authors do not have a direct way of editing or modifying their works after uploading their work through the online submission form. If anything needs to be changed, authors should email lib-support@fsu.edu

What file types can be submitted through the form?

Accepted file types are as follows: csv, xml, tar, gzip, zip, gif, png, svg, mp3, txt, ePub, pdf, mkv, avi, wmv, mp4, flv (animate video file), m4a, mpg, mpeg, flv, m4a, wav, wma.

How are my deposited works indexed?

Works uploaded to the research repository are indexed by Google Scholar and BASE.

How long does it take for my submitted work to be uploaded and accessible in the Research Repository?

This process can take anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. Our submission process is mediated, which means the manager of the repository checks each item individually and then manually uploads the items and their records into the repository.

How are usage metrics counted for my deposited works?

We count usage metrics in three ways, all of which are visible on the record itself. Views and downloads are counted and displayed on the upper right corner of the record. Beneath these counts is the Altmetrics score.


What is an embargo?

An embargo is an access restriction placed on an item. Embargoes are placed for multiple reasons, all to do with copyright. Embargoes can also be lifted.

Who can request an embargo?

Both authors and publishers can request embargoes. Publishers often require an embargo placed on accepted manuscripts for a limited amount of time after the version of record is published. In this case, an embargo can last anywhere from six months to two years. Individual authors can also request embargoes to be placed on their work.

What types of embargoes are there?

Viewing restrictions can be limited to the PDF object for a specified amount of time, hiding the article from view and preventing downloads of the object but leaving the record's metadata visible. Restrictions can also be placed so that only those on the FSU network can view or download the files. These embargoes are generally limited to our electronic theses and dissertations collection.


My degree was awarded at FSU but I can't find my thesis or dissertation in the FSU Digital Repository. Where is my document?

Depending on the year the degree was granted, there may not yet be a digital copy scanned of your printed thesis or dissertation. If you would like to request to have your thesis or dissertation uploaded to the FSU Digital Repository, please email lib-support@fsu.edu. If your degree was granted in the last ten years and it is not in the Repository, also contact lib-support@fsu.edu. If your degree was awarded in the last year and your thesis or dissertation is not in the Repository, it is likely we are still waiting to receive them from Proquest.

Can I have permission to access a specific thesis or dissertation?

FSU does not hold the copyright to any of these works so we cannot make that decision. Please contact the author to receive permission.

How do I make my thesis or dissertation available?

If access to your thesis or dissertation is restricted in the FSU Digital Repository, then you can contact lib-support@fsu.edu and communicate with the repository manager about removing the restriction.


I am a researcher and I would like to reuse a work found in the FSU Digital Repository. Can FSU grant me permission?

Please refer to the Copyright and Legal Information page for all pertinent information related to reusing content from the FSU Digital Repository.

What are the Creative Commons licenses and what do they do?

Generally speaking, you own the copyright to your creative and intellectual work the moment it takes tangible form (see FSU's Public Access Policy for Research Publications regarding faculty authorship and Student Intellectual Property Policy regarding students' creations). This means you own and are the copyright holder of any original works you create, and helps to protect your rights over these original works as the creator. In the event an author has transferred copyright ownership to a publisher, it may be permitted to share the submitted or accepted manuscript to an open access repository.

Creative Commons public licenses provide a standard set of terms and conditions that creators and other rights holders may use to share original works subject to copyright, signifying to others what they may or may not do with your work. These licenses exist on a spectrum, from least restrictive to most restrictive (see below). It is important to note that once you've applied a license or CC0 to your work, it cannot be revoked. This means once you apply a CC license to your material, anyone who receives it may rely on that license for as long as the material is protected by copyright, even if you later stop distributing it.

  • CC BY is the least restrictive license; it allows others to share, remix, adapt, and build upon your work, even commercially (meaning others may profit from their reuse of your work), so long as reusers credit you for your original work.
  • CC BY-SA (Share Alike) allows others to remix, adapt, and build upon your work, even commercially, so long as they credit you and license their new creations under these identical terms.
  • CC BY-ND (No Derivatives) allows others to share the work in any medium or format for any purpose, including commercially, so long as they give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. If reusers remix, transform, or build upon the material, they may not distribute the modified material.
  • CC BY-NC (Non-Commercial) allows others to share and adapt your work non-commercially, so long as they credit you and do not profit from their reuse of your work. They do not have to license derivative works under these same terms.
  • CC BY-NC-SA (Non-Commercial, Share Alike) allows others to remix, adapt, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new works under these identical terms.
  • CC BY-NC-ND (Non-Commercial, No Derivatives) is the most restrictive of these six main licenses, allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they do so non-commercially, provide credit to you, and do not change the work in any way.

Aside from these six main licenses, all of which have some level of restriction, there is also a tool, CC0, that allows you to waive all rights over your work and enter it into the public domain without any restrictions whatsoever, enabling others to reuse your work however they like.

This is just a brief overview of Creative Commons public licenses. For more information about CC licenses and CC0, including license deeds and legal codes, please visit About CC Licenses on the Creative Commons website. If you have a question or require further assistance, please contact us.