Frequently Asked Questions

Thesis and Dissertation Questions

How do I submit my thesis or dissertation?

You may submit your thesis or dissertation using the submission form, accessible using any of the following methods:

  1. The “Submit your Thesis or Dissertation” button accessible on the Home page.
  2. The link provided at the top of the “Submit your Research page”

What happens after I submit my thesis or dissertation?

After your thesis or dissertation is submitted it goes through several rounds of review. The author will be informed of any required revisions. Once accepted, your thesis or dissertation will be posted to the West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects series and the appropriate department-specific series.

How do I make sure my thesis or dissertation is included in the department-specific series?

Theses and dissertations are automatically collected into department-specific series’ at the time of their acceptance. There are no additional steps you need to take.

Who can I contact with questions about my thesis or dissertation?

Any questions about your thesis or dissertation hosted on or submitted to digital commons should be directed the Graduate School at thesisdoc@wcupa.edu.

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Submission

Why should I submit my work to WCU Digital Commons?

Submitting your work to WCU Digital Commons offers many benefits including:

Visibility

Works included in WCU Digital Commons are indexed in Google and Google Scholar, ensuring the discoverability of your work by a larger audience. Higher visibility increases the opportunity for your work to be read, shared, and cited.

This is particularly beneficial for presentations, recordings, and other works that may not be published elsewhere for ongoing access. Publishing in WCU Digital Commons allows authors to showcase works that may otherwise be limited to a very small audience, such as conference attendees, potentially increasing their impact.

Open Access

Submission to WCU Digital Commons ensures free access to your work without the barrier of subscription fees. In some circumstances, works may also be submitted to WCU Digital Commons in order to meet requirements that research or data be freely available.

Metrics and Usage Dashboard

Each work in WCU Digital Commons includes PlumX metrics that indicate how often the work has been viewed, downloaded, or mentioned. Authors receive access to further usage statistics that can provide a better understanding of how your work is being used.

How do I submit to WCU Digital Commons?

you may submit your work to WCU Digital Commons by following these steps:

  1. Create or login to your account.
  2. Navigate to the “Submit your Research” page using one of the following methods:
    • Click the “Submit your Work” button on the Home page.
    • Click the “Submit Research” link located in the Author Corner
  3. Fill our the submission form and upload any files you wish to submit

What happens after I submit my work?

Once your work is submitted, WCU Digital Commons administrators will review your submission. Once it is determined that your work meets all submission guidelines and accessibility criteria, it will be posted on the site. If your work requires revision, an administrator will reach out to you directly.

Who can submit to WCU Digital Commons?

WCU Faculty, students, staff, and individuals otherwise affiliated with WCU may submit their work to WCU Digital Commons.

What types of content can I submit?

A wide variety of content can be submitted to WCU Digital Commons provided that it meets the following criteria:

  1. Submitted work must be original to the submitting author
  2. The submitting author must either own the copyright to all aspects of their content OR be able to demonstrate receipt of permission to make their content available in WCU Digital Commons
  3. Submitted work is scholarly, creative, research-oriented, or of enduring significance to WCU University Libraries and WCU

Some examples of content meeting this criteria include articles or book chapters published by faculty, students, and staff, posters or other presentation formats, and creative works such as artworks and performances.

For further details on submission criteria, please review the Submission Guidelines.

Can I submit a work that is published elsewhere?

WCU Digital Commons can accept submissions that are published elsewhere so long as publication in WCU Digital Commons does not pose copyright issues.

In most cases, the author retains the copyright for their publication, however it is possible that rights may have been transferred to the publisher at the time of publication. The author is responsible for ensuring that their submission to WCU Digital Commons does not conflict with a publisher’s agreement.

The Open Policy Finder can be used to find further information about a journal’s open-access policy. This tool can help you identify if a journal allows self-archiving or places any restriction on the use of your work.

Can I restrict public access to my work?

WCU Digital Commons is intended to be an open-access repository that makes scholarship available to our community and the general public at no cost. As a result, submissions that are never intended to be accessible by the general public cannot be included in WCU Digital Commons.

However, an embargo can be requested in order to temporarily restrict access to a publication.

Do I need to ensure my work is accessible prior to submission?

Yes, it is required that all works be in compliance with web accessibility standards prior to their publication on WCU Digital Commons. It is the responsibility of the author to ensure that their work meets accessibility criteria.

For guidance on creating accessible documents, please see that provided by The WCU Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance and the Teaching and Learning Center.

What types of files can I submit?

WCU Digital Commons is capable of hosting most file formats. Common file types include but are not limited to PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, PowerPoint, JPEG, mov, and mp4 files.

Submissions are typically converted to PDF format for the download copy. When it is not possible to convert to PDF format, the original file may be made available.

Can I submit multiple files in a single submission?

Yes. When submitting multiple files in a single submission, you will be asked to identify a primary file, for which usage metrics will be tracked. All other files can be submitted as supplementary materials. All files will be made accessible in the same record.

I would like to add my work to a themed collection.

If you believe your submission would be a good fit for any of the existing themed collections on WCU Digital Commons, please let us know at librs@wcupa.edu.

I have an idea for a unique submission, a new collection, or a journal.

Any questions regarding the creation of a new structure on the site, including journals, events, new collections, or any submissions not fitting into an existing series may be directed to the primary site administrator, Digital Initiatives Librarian Julia Doelling, by email at JDoelling175@wcupa.edu.

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Revision and Removal

How do I revise a submission?

To revise a submission that has been posted to the repository, contact the library with the updated version using the following email address: librs@wcupa.edu.

If the submission has been submitted, but not yet posted, you may revise it via your My Account page:

  1. Locate the article on your My Account page, and click the title.
  2. Click Revise Submission from the list of options in the left sidebar.
  3. Enter your changes in the Revise Submission form, and click Submit at the bottom of the page to submit your changes. (You only need to modify the portion of the form that corresponds to the changes you wish to make.)

Can I remove my submission from WCU Digital Commons?

WCU Digital Commons is intended to be a permanent repository for content. Requests made by the primary copyright holder to withdraw or remove a submission will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Requests for removal will be honored if they meet any of the following criteria:

  1. There are legal or copyright concerns with the content remaining on WCU Digital Commons
  2. The submission poses a privacy risk or includes personally identifiable information.
  3. There is evidence of a clear threat to personal safety, well-being, or reputation.
If you wish to remove your submission from WCU Digital Commons, please reach out to the site administrators at librs@wcupa.edu.

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Accessibility

Is the WCU Digital Commons platform digitally accessible?

The West Chester University Digital Commons platform is an instance of the Digital Commons platform, a product of Elsevier. The platform is currently partially compliant with the WCAG 2.1 at level AA. For more details, please view the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) and Digital Commons Accessibility Updates released by the accessibility team at Elsevier.

Does Content in WCU Digital Commons meet web accessibility guidelines?

While staff and faculty at West Chester University Libraries are actively working to provide an accessible experience for WCU Digital Commons users, there remain files in WCU Digital Commons that have not yet been remediated to WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance levels as well as files, falling under exceptions a, Web-Archived Content, and b, Pre-existing Conventional Documents, to section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act, that are not current priorities for remediation.

What should I do if I need accessibility assistance?

If you need assistance accessing content held in WCU Digital Commons, please reach out using the WCU Digital Commons Accessibility Form or contact us using the information provided at the bottom of this page.

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Usage Rights

Do I retain the copyright to my work after it is submitted?

Yes, authors retain the copyright to their work and are free to reuse it as they wish after publication in WCU Digital Commons.

What rights does WCU Libraries have over the works I submit to WCU Digital Commons?

Authors who upload their content to WCU Digital Commons grant WCU Libraries the non-exclusive right to manage and make accessible their work. All other rights are retained by the author or the original rights holder.

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Preservation

Are works in WCU Digital Commons preserved?

Yes. WCU Libraries are committed to ensuring the long-term accessibility of digital objects under their care, including those held within WCU Digital Commons.

For more information regarding digital preservation efforts at WCU Libraries, please see the Digital Preservation Policy, available in the WCU Digital Commons Policy Library.

Can WCU Digital Commons assign DOIs?

At this time, WCU Digital Commons does not assign persistent identifiers or DOIs to submissions throughout the site. Journals hosted on the site are able to assign DOIs to works they publish.

If you are submitting a work that already has a persistent identifier, it is encouraged that you include DOIs, ORCIDs, or any other persistent identifier when filling out the submission form. You may use either the DOI field or the comments to do so.

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Additional Questions

Who can I contact with questions about a file I submitted?

Questions regarding current submissions may be directed to librs@wcupa.edu.

Who can I contact with questions about WCU Digital Commons?

Any questions regarding the site as a whole may be directed to the primary site administrator, Digital Initiatives Librarian Julia Doelling, by email at JDoelling175@wcupa.edu.

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