Frequently Asked Questions


What is Eagle Scholar?

Eagle Scholar is the institutional repository of the University of Mary Washington (UMW). It is a collection of outstanding faculty scholarship, student work, college records, campus history, and the unique materials of Simpson Library's Special Collections.

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Who can submit materials to Eagle Scholar?

Faculty, students, and staff affiliated with any UMW college, department, center, or program can contribute content. Other groups or individuals that do not fall under these designations should consult with Special Collections and University Archives to see how their materials might fit into the repository’s scope.

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Why should I submit my work to Eagle Scholar?

The visibility, awareness, and accessibility resulting from sharing your work in institutional repository benefit both you as the creator and UMW as an institution.

Specific benefits include:

  • Open Access – your work can be followed and cited by anyone in the world, regardless of academic affiliation or subscription access
  • Analytics/Impact – detailed analytics allow you to track the impact of your creative works
  • Discovery – your work is indexed and searchable in popular search engines like Google Scholar and Yahoo
  • Availability – hosted and secure files with permanent URLs provide for the long-term preservation of your documents
  • Support – the Library's Scholarly Communications Team is available to answer questions and assist you in participating with Digital Commons

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What type of materials can be contributed to Eagle Scholar?

Eagle Scholar shares work that reflects the intellectual and creative output of the university, including the scholarship and research of students, faculty, and staff that may or may not have been previously published. These materials may include, but are not limited to:

  • Journal articles, essays, or reviews (pre- and post-print)
  • Magazine articles
  • Contributions to books
  • Conference proceedings and papers
  • Technical reports and campus publications
  • Research reports from grant-funded projects with Open Access requirements
  • Presentations
  • Creative works (including scores, poems, plays, etc.)

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How do I submit content to Eagle Scholar?

Undergraduate departmental honors projects, graduate Education capstone projects, and graduate Geospatial Analysis capstone projects may be submitted electronically to Eagle Scholar using the "Submit Research" link under the Author Corner. Questions regarding faculty and staff publications should be directed to Paul Boger, Head of Reference and Scholarly Communications, at pboger@umw.edu or 540-654-1748. Questions regarding all other publications should be directed to Special Collections & University Archives at archives@umw.edu or 540-654-2045.

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What are the copyright guidelines for authors?

Authors must hold the copyright to the work, reserved the rights to share their work in an institutional repository, or have specific permission from the publisher before it can be included in Eagle Scholar. Library staff can assist faculty and staff with verifying permissions.

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How can I find out if I have permission to use a journal article, book, or book chapter?

Journal Articles: Permission to deposit your work depends on the publisher's agreement with the author. Permissions for many publishers can be found by searching by journal title at SHERPA RoMEO. You will find that many publishers will allow you to deposit the "pre-print" or "accepted manuscript" version of an article, but not the publisher’s version.

Monographs: Please consult the original agreement you signed with the publisher. If you no longer have the written agreement, contact the publisher for permission.

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What is the difference between a pre-print, the accepted manuscript, and the publisher's version?
  • Pre-print:: is a full draft of a research paper that has not been peer reviewed and has no publisher formatting.
  • Author’s “accepted manuscript" (or post-print): is the version of an article that has been accepted for publication and incorporates peer review and editorial revisions. It does not include the publisher’s copy-editing, formatting, and pagination.
  • Publisher's version: is the definitive published article that appears in a journal and includes peer review, copy editing, formatting, and pagination.

    • NOTE: To find an author's accepted manuscript, please try the steps recommended by the Open Access Button.

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Can I post my book full text on Eagle Scholar?

Probably not. Publishers very rarely allow books to be posted in their entirety. If your book was published open access or the publisher will grant this permission, then we will be happy to post it to Eagle Scholar.

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Who owns the materials submitted to Eagle Scholar?

Simpson Library does not claim ownership to the materials you submit. Additionally, placing your work in the institutional repository does not supersede, alter, or change any pre-existing copyrights or contractual agreements.

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Why do some posts contain only a citation and not the full text?

If Simpson Library has not received permission to post the full text of a work from the author or from another copyright holder (e.g. the publisher), the post for that work will only contain a citation.

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How do I revise or remove a submission on Eagle Scholar?

To revise or remove a submitted materials, please contact Special Collections and University Archives at archives@umw.edu for assistance.

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