Deposit Works FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can deposit work to RO@M?
MacEwan University faculty or staff members can deposit past and present work.
Former employees, including retirees, are also welcomed to contribute work produced while working at the university.
Undergraduate student work produced while attending MacEwan can be deposited with a faculty or staff member's approval.
How do I deposit work?
Visit the How to Deposit page for options.
What can I deposit?
Research, scholarship, and creative activity without copyright restrictions can be deposited to RO@M, including:
- Articles, which include:
- Copies of open access articles
- Draft versions of articles that comply with subscription-based publisher copyright terms (post-prints)
- Links to library copies where possible and when no other version is available to share
- Books and book chapters — unless open access, these records will link to library copies where available
- Conference papers, posters, and presentation slides
- Creative works (e.g., design work, music recordings, photographs, poems, recorded performances, short stories, videos)
- Recordings of podcasts and talks
- Undergraduate student theses, reports, presentations, and creative works
- Working papers and technical reports
- Workshop materials
Repository staff will investigate copyright and let you know if there's anything else we need.
For assistance with digitizing work before depositing it, Contact Us.
Can I see the usage data for my work?
Yes! Each record in RO@M includes a Statistics link in the top menu where users can see usage data. To learn how many times your work was viewed prior to summer 2022, email roam@macewan.ca.
How do I edit deposited work?
To make changes to your deposited works, Contact Us with your request.
How do I delete deposited work?
Removing items from RO@M is discouraged since an institutional repository aims to provide long-term preservation and access. Depositors may, however, request the removal of items at any time, and these requests will be complied with as soon as possible. Withdrawn items will not be deleted but removed from public view with metadata retained unless there is a requirement to remove the item entirely.
In the case of a third-party dispute regarding copyright or other rights, any items in question will be removed from public view as soon as possible and will only be replaced if the dispute is resolved.
How do I restrict access to the work I deposit?
RO@M is committed to providing long-term, unrestricted access to digital works. If a published version of a work cannot be shared openly due to copyright, however, repository staff will link to the work in the MacEwan Library collection where available so that MacEwan users can still access it and so that its metadata is available to external users.
Note: Most subscription journal publishers only allow for posting peer-reviewed final drafts of articles (post-print). This version should be deposited to RO@M whenever possible in these instances.
If a publisher has imposed an embargo period on a work (typically 12-24 months following publication), repository staff will make the work available at the end of the embargo period.
Student work may be deposited under a two-year embargo period if requested. In these cases, metadata will remain visible, including the title, author, and abstract for the work. To learn more, visit the Student Work Deposit Form.
If a work requires additional access restrictions, please Contact Us to discuss your needs.
How will my work be preserved?
Unless withdrawn due to a copyright dispute or at the depositor's request, all items will be retained for the life of RO@M and stored on secure servers.
Repository staff will make every effort to translate file formats if existing formats are at risk of becoming unreadable or obsolete to ensure that deposited items continue to be readable through future technological changes.
Additionally, the repository software creates permanent links (or "permalinks") that will not change over time to ensure long-term access to works shared on other sites or in bibliographic citations.
Can you assign a digital object identifier (DOI) to my work?
Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are persistent, unique identifiers that help locate and track online documents. They have become a citation standard when referencing works.
DOIs are automatically assigned to undergraduate theses posted to RO@M. Contact Us to request a DOI for other types of work not formally published elsewhere.
Note: To obtain a DOI for previously published works, contact the original publisher of that content.
Why should I deposit my work to RO@M?
By collecting, preserving, and making the intellectual output of MacEwan University accessible online, RO@M facilitates greater opportunities for research impact, learning, collaboration, and innovation.
RO@M also provides researchers with a place to deposit works under open access archiving policies, including the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications.
RO@M contributes to student learning by making exceptional examples of undergraduate work available, serving as a model to students in their educational endeavors, and evidence of student accomplishment.