Research Guides: Scholars' Mine: FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of publications can be submitted to Scholars' Mine?
Who can add publications to Scholars' Mine?
How can I add publications to Scholars' Mine?
What about copyright? Is copyright law violated if my work is in Scholars' Mine?
Do I retain copyright to works I submit to Scholars' Mine?
I am a graduate but I do not see my thesis or dissertation. Why? How can I get it added to Scholars' Mine?
Can content be removed from Scholars' Mine?

What kind of publications can be submitted to Scholars' Mine?

Scholars' Mine accepts all manner of digital formats. Examples include:

Documents, such as articles, post-prints, working papers, technical reports, or conference papers
Books
Theses and Dissertations
Data sets
Computer programs
Visualizations, simulations, and other models
Multimedia publications
Bibliographic data sets
Images
Audio files
Video files
Learning objects
Web pages

Who can add publications to Scholars' Mine?

Any S&T faculty, staff, student, department, research center, campus unit or student organization can have content added to Scholars' Mine.

How can I add publications to Scholars' Mine?

If you are faculty, the library periodically reviews scholarly journals and databases for your publications. When we locate publications, we will add them for you. This process is known as harvesting content. Harvested content does not require you to sign a distribution license.

If you are a graduate student, your thesis or dissertation is added after the graduate office has notified the library of your graduation.

Scholars' Mine is a curated service with input by Missouri S&T Library and Learning Resources. If you have publications you would like to submit, please email scholarsmine@mst.edu.

All work submitted is reviewed for Copyright compliance and augmented with additional descriptive information by library staff before it is added to Scholars' Mine.

What about copyright? Is copyright law violated if my work is in Scholars' Mine?

No. All work is reviewed by library staff for copyright compliance before it is added to Scholars' Mine. Most publishers typically allow a form of your publication to be added to institutional repositories. Emailing a copy of your pre-print or post-print/accepted manuscript to scholarsmine@mst.edu may ensure a form of your publication is in Scholars' Mine even if copyright prevents inclusion of the final version. Should there be issues with copyright, you will be contacted by the library. Should your publisher restrict distribution via institutional repositories, we will place a citation of your work in Scholars' Mine, and, if possible, provide a link to the publisher's version of the work.

You are encouraged not to sign away rights to your works, which may happen when you publish in commercial journals. Consider requesting an author's addendum to your publishing contract to allow you to distribute your work in Scholars' Mine. Retaining the copyright allows your work to be made available to students and scholars without subscription fees. You can also choose to publish in Scholars' Mine first. Authors who publish in Scholars' Mine retain copyright in all cases, so you could also publish elsewhere.

Do I retain copyright to works I submit to Scholars' Mine?

Yes, Scholars' Mine does not require you to give up your copyright. You are only required to agree to a non-exclusive distribution license. If you prefer, you may fill out an electronic form of the license.

I am a graduate but I do not see my thesis or dissertation. Why? How can I get it added to Scholars' Mine?

For recent graduates:

There are two possible reasons you thesis or dissertations does not appear:

If you graduated in the current or last semester, the library may still be processing your submission.
Your thesis or dissertation may also be on hold for security, copyright, or patent reasons. You should verify the hold status with your advisor.

For all other Alumni:

If the thesis or dissertation was published before 1964, the library is in the process of digitizing the work for distribution in Scholars' Mine.
If the thesis or dissertation was published from 1964 through 1977 without a copyright notice, the library is in the process of digitizing the work for distribution in Scholars' Mine.
If the thesis or dissertation was published from 1964 through 1977 with a copyright notice the library in in the process of digitizing the work for distribution in Scholars' Mine. However, these documents will only be available for viewing from inside the University firewall. A non-exclusive distribution license is required from the author before it can be viewed outside the University firewall.
If the thesis or dissertation was published after 1977, the library is in the process of digitizing the work for distribution in Scholars' Mine. However, these documents will only be available for viewing from inside the University firewall. A non-exclusive distribution license is required from the author before it can be viewed outside the University firewall.
To provide a non-exclusive distribution license for your thesis or dissertation, a Share Your Thesis/Dissertation button is available in Scholars' Mine on individual thesis and dissertation pages or here.

Please email scholarsmine@mst.edu with any questions you may have.

Can content be removed from Scholars' Mine?

Reasonable steps are taken to ensure that content is accurate and authentic. Materials contained within Scholars’ Mine are made available in accordance with publisher policies, non-exclusive license agreements with author(s),compliance with U.S. copyright and intellectual property laws and are not intended for removal except in keeping with internal policy or upon receipt of a valid and proven request for withdrawal.

Valid reason for withdrawal are:

falsified research, plagiarism, or other academic misconduct.
proven violations of intellectual property laws.
other legal requirements and proven legal violations.
violations of a pre-existing contractual license agreements with research sponsors or other parties.
violations of journal publishers' rules.
national security.

Please email scholarsmine@mst.edu with any questions concerning removing content.