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ScholarsArchive@OSU User Guide

This guide helps ScholarsArchive users deposit and manage their content.

Graduate Thesis, Dissertation, -or- Graduate Project (Non-Thesis or Capstone)

For a thesis or dissertation, follow the Grad School's Thesis Guide.

For a grad project/capstone, please include pretext pages. Download template here.

PREPARE YOUR FILES

► FORMAT: Master's thesis, dissertation, and capstone/graduate project submissions must be PDFs.

***Do you have research datasets associated with your work? ScholarsArchive is the ideal home for your data -- see Research Datasets for details.

► FILE NAME: Name your file using this format:

LastnameFirstnameMiddleinitialGraduationyear.pdf

Example: GarciaEmilyA2024.pdf

► ACCESSIBILITY: Is your document accessible? Take a look at our Accessibility Submission Guide. While making accessibility changes is not required, it is considered best practice to avoid common accessibility mistakes.


TO DEPOSIT YOUR WORK

  1. Login
  2. Select type of work
  3. Describe your work with metadata
  4. Upload files
  5. Choose visibility level (NOTE: talk to your advisor about appropriate visibility!)
  6. Review
  7. Read deposit agreement & submit
  8. Wait for approval


1. LOGIN

  • Go to the ScholarsArchive@OSU homepage.
  • Click Login in the upper right corner.
  • Enter your ONID credentials.
  • You are now on your Dashboard.

2. SELECT TYPE OF WORK

  • Select Works in the column on the left.
  • Click the Add new work button on the right side.
  • Choose Graduate Thesis or Dissertation or Graduate Project (for non-thesis or capstone, such as MNR, MPP, Marine Resource Management, etc. or Graduate Certificate).


3. DESCRIBE YOUR WORK WITH METADATA

► Key fields are required and marked in blue on the edit page.

► Follow the help text above each field for formatting tips.

Detailed Field Information

  • Title - As listed on your title page.
  • Creator - Your name, in the form: Last name, First name Middle initial.
    • Example: Franklin, Rosalind E.
  • Resource Type - Choose Dissertation, Master’s Thesis, or Capstone Project.
  • Abstract - Use the abstract from your work.
  • Dates - Select Date Issued.
    • Enter the date you presented your work.
  • Degree Level - Choose Master’s, Doctoral, or Certificate.
  • Degree Name - Choose the name of your degree.
    • If you do not see your degree name in the list, select Other and enter it.
  • Degree Field - Choose the name of the field(s) for which you are a candidate.
    • If you do not see your degree field listed, select Other and enter it.
  • Academic Affiliation - The academic department with which you are affiliated, listed on the signature line above Dean of the Graduate School on your thesis or dissertation's signature page.
    • Leave blank if you are in an interdisciplinary program.
  • Non-Academic Affiliation - If your graduate work was associated with other programs, please add them here (Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing, Natural Resources Program, etc.). If you do not see your program listed, select Other and enter the program name.
    • Only OSU-affiliated programs are valid for this field.
  • Commencement Year - Enter your commencement year as printed on your work.
  • Advisor - Enter one name per line. Do not enter any titles.
    • Use the form: Last name, First name Middle initial.
  • Committee Member - Enter one per line. Do not enter any titles. Do not list your Advisor here.
    • Use the form: Last name, First name Middle initial.
  • License - The default license on the theses and dissertations template is All Rights Reserved; if you choose another, change the license on your document before uploading.
  • Rights Statement - In Copyright is the default setting and correct choice unless you choose to forfeit copyright.
  • Related Items - If there are other items in ScholarsArchive@OSU, a relevant website (your research group's website, dataset, etc.), or other resources that will help users understand your work, enter URLs and titles here.

 

Additional Fields

  • Funding Statement - If your research was funded by a grant, scholarship, or other source, enter an acknowledgement here.
  • Geographic Coordinates - Optional


4. UPLOAD FILES

  • Click Files at the top of the edit page.
  • Select Add files and choose the PDF of your thesis/dissertation/capstone on your computer or drag and drop it into the box.

File Size Limitations

Generally, files smaller than 2GB will upload through ScholarsArchive@OSU’s web interface. Please contact us if you have larger files.


5. CHOOSE VISIBILITY LEVEL

  • On the right, select Public or Embargo.
  • Please speak with your advisor about appropriate visibility.


Embargoes

Users may temporarily restrict access to content on ScholarsArchive@OSU due to ongoing research, pending publication, or other reasons. Details are available on the Embargoes and Access Controls page.

To set an embargo:

  1. Under Visibility on the right side of the editing page, select the Embargo button.
  2. Select the visibility of your item during the embargo.
  3. Select the end date of the embargo. We offer a list of normal embargo lengths as well as the ability to choose your own date.
  4. Select the visibility of your item after the embargo.
  5. Select a reason for the embargo.

Example:

  • Restricted to: Oregon State University
  • until: 2026-05-01
  • Then set it to: Public
  • Reason for Embargo: Pending Publication

NOTE: Depending on the content you are depositing, administrators may review your embargo request and contact you with feedback.


6. REVIEW.

  • Go back and review your metadata for errors and misspellings.
  • NOTE: You cannot make changes after you submit your work into the review process -- if you want to change something, you must contact an administrator.

7. READ DEPOSIT AGREEMENT & SUBMIT

  • Under Visibility, click Deposit Agreement to read it and then tick the box.
  • Click Submit.
  • NOTE: You will not be able to submit your work unless all required fields (have blue required labels) are complete.

8. WAIT FOR APPROVAL (& MAKE CHANGES AS NEEDED)

  • Once your work has been submitted, it enters the review process.
  • You will receive notifications (via email and in your ScholarsArchive account) regarding the status of your work, including whether you need to make changes before it can be accepted.
  • After it is accepted, your work will be posted to ScholarsArchive.
  • Need to make changes? See Document Review Process for more information.

Depositing Other Graduate Content

Research Datasets go through a different process. See Research Datasets for detailed information.

If you are interested in depositing other content such as posters or presentations, select the appropriate work type from the available list after you select Share Your Work on the homepage. For example, posters and presentations fall under the Other Scholarly Content work type.

When uploading, ensure that you:

  • Enter as much metadata as possible for your upload.
  • When entering metadata, select the proper Resource Type from the list.

 

Questions about the upload process? Contact us here or email

ScholarsArchive[at]oregonstate.edu