The NDSU Repository is an open access environment where research, scholarship and other digital content related to the research mission of North Dakota State University can be found.
FAQ
- What is the NDSU Repository?
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The NDSU Repository is a digital collection of open access content with affiliation to the institution. All content in our Repository is freely and openly available. Some of our content is a version of copyrighted or otherwise published material that we have secured sufficient rights to make available.
- What types of material can be found in the NDSU Repository?
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- Scholarly Content - All scholarly content has affiliation with North Dakota State University and includes selected student and faculty research.
- Archival Content - Like our scholarly content, our archival content will either have affiliation with the university, or may have broader regional reach. This content is generally digital versions of selected physical content found in the NDSU Archives. It should be noted that most of the content in the NDSU Archives is not digitally available and will not be found in the NDSU Repository.
- Agricultural and Experiment Station - selected content from NDSU Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension services.
- Campus Publications - content includes campus-based newsletters and other publications, like the student newspaper, the Spectrum.
- Conferences & Events - selected content from conferences and events that were sponsored by the university or developed by NDSU affiliated researchers.
- Government Depository Publications - selected content to support the NDSU Libraries mission as a Federal Depository Library.
- How do I submit my work to the NDSU Repository?
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To submit new content to the NDSU Repository, please use this submission form. Contact ndsu.library.ir@ndsu.edu if you have questions.
- Can you tell me if my files are acceptable?
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The NDSU Repository is committed to long-term accessibility of the work it accepts. While most file formats can be accepted into the repository, we need the files to be in the most stable and accessible format for this to happen.
File types that would not need conversion include .pdf, .txt, .svg, .mp4, and .csv.
We will host Microsoft Office files but prefer documents submitted in Microsoft Office formats be converted to more stable formats to make them more accessible for future Repository users.
- Text documents submitted as a Word (.doc/.docx) files should be converted to a .pdf or .txt file, depending on how important formatting is.
- Spreadsheet documents, like Excel (.xls/.xlsx) files should be converted to a .csv files.
- PowerPoint presentation (.ppt/.pptx) files should be converted to a .pdf files.
We do have some technical limitations on the size of files submitted. We cannot accept individual files that are larger than 1GB. Because of this, we cannot host large research data and the amount of video we can host is limited. We are happy to provide records for all NDSU research projects, and link out to any 3rd-party URL where NDSU research can be found.
If your video file is hosted on the internet, like on a personal website or one of the common services (like YouTube or Vimeo), we can definitely create a record in the NDSU Repository and link to the unique video URL.
- I need help understanding copyright and how it relates to my work.
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NDSU Libraries can provide assistance in understanding copyright in relation to your work. This guide is a good place to start
https://library.ndsu.edu/search-find/research/research-assistance/copyright
But if you still need more information, contact your subject librarian - they can assist with connecting you to resources to fit your unique situation.
- Who can access my work?
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Work submitted to the NDSU Repository is openly available for anyone to access. Our repository is open access and cannot restrict access. We rely on researchers to make certain their work and data does not disclose any sensitive or private information gathered during the course of their research.
- Can I delay when my work is available?
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Yes. We are able to accommodate a delay of when content is made publicly available. We are unable to accommodate indefinitely delays, and any embargo request should include a definite end date. While the work itself will be unavailable during the embargo period, item metadata - like abstracts and other citation information - will be visible to the public.
If you have more questions, contact ndsu.library.ir@ndsu.edu.
- Can I get a DOI on my work?
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Yes, but we require that any work that is granted a DOI to is openly available in the NDSU Repository. NDSU, as a DOI-granting agency, is promising to resolve to the item that the DOI refers to. This does extend to both articles and data, but be aware of the following:
- We cannot provide DOIs to any article or data that we do not host.
- We cannot provide DOIs to joint project research or data hosted by other institutions.
- We cannot provide DOIs for any item that has already been assigned a DOI by another DOI-granting institution.
- We have limits on file size.
Contact ndsu.library.ir@ndsu.edu for more information.
- Can my work appear in the NDSU Repository if it is hosted somewhere else?
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We encourage all our NDSU researchers to let us know about their work. We want the NDSU Repository to be a resource for all of our campus' research - even if it might have to be hosted elsewhere. We know we can't host it all - NDSU is a very productive research institution. But if you can provide us with basic citation information and a URL link to the work you want to highlight, we can create a record that will help people find your work and link out for your research.
This is ideal for researchers who have projects at previous institutions, or for those who participate in joint projects. Please contact ndsu.library.ir@ndsu.edu if you have questions or would like to submit this type of work.
- Can research be included in the NDSU Repository if the PI is at another institution?
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Research projects created with partner institutions may be included in the NDSU Repository if at least one NDSU researcher was involved in the creation. If NDSU is assigning a DOI, the item must be submitted to the NDSU Repository. Submitters must submit a permission form indicating that permission for inclusion in the NDSU Repository was obtained by all other authors and there is no copyright conflict.
Glossary of Terms
- Digital Object Identifier / DOI
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A DOI is simply permanent identifier that is associated with a digital resource that allows it to be referenced and found reliably even if its location changes over time. Depending on where and how it is hosted, it can be resolved like a URL. DOI.org has a resolver that can take you to the site that hosts the DOI you are looking for
- Embargo
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An embargo is simply a period of delay between receipt of or publication of a work and when the work is made available. Embargoes are often contractually imposed by publishers (during the embargo, access is restricted to those who have paid for access, typically through an institutional subscription), but can also be requested by authors/creators, often to extend first publication rights to publishers with a broad reach in their research community.
- Identifier
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An identifier is a character string or record number that clearly and uniquely identifies a digital resource, individual author, or organization.
- Institutional Repository / IR
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The term Institutional Repository is often abbreviated as IR. Generally, they are archives for collecting, preserving, and disseminating digital copies of the intellectual output of an institution, particularly a research institution.
At NDSU, our institutional repository is open access, publicly available, and searchable. The content we include is primarily researched based, but also includes historic information and output that makes NDSU unique. The NDSU Repository is available at
- Keywords
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Descriptive terms or phrases representing important aspects of a resource.
- Open Access / OA
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Open access, or OA, refers to free, unrestricted online access to research-based output.
More specifically, it is the scholarly communication reform movement that aims to make scholarly literature freely available on the public web. OA also refers to open access journal publishing and author self-archiving in digital repositories or on personal websites. Any work that is referred to as open access is typically digital, online, free of charge, and free of most licensing restrictions.
- ORCid
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ORCid stands for Open Researcher and Contributor ID, and takes the form of a 16-character number which serves as a unique identifier for researchers. Using this type of unique identifier assures that an individual's work is easily distinguished from that of other researchers with similar names.
If you would like to get an ORCid or get more information about how having an ORCid can benefit you, as a researcher, visit
- PI / Principal Investigator
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The PI or Principal Investigator is the individual primarily responsible for the preparation, conduct, and administration of a research grant, cooperative agreement, training or public service project, contract, or other sponsored project.
- Pre-Print
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The term pre-print refers to a draft or manuscript version of a work. It would not include revisions made as the result of any editorial or peer-review process. Pre-prints may be early drafts or a version that has been submitted to a publisher for publication. Can be referred to as a submitted version.
- Post-Print
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The term post-print refers to the final manuscript version of a work. It would include revisions made as the result of an editorial or peer-review process. It is different from the published version or publisher's PDF, as it does not include the publisher's copy-editing, proof corrections, layout, and typesetting. Can be referred to as the accepted manuscript.
- Self-Archiving
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Self-Archiving refers to the process where authors, researchers, scholars, or their designees deposit a copy of their work online, in order to provide open access to it.
Can also be referred to as Green Open Access. This type of publishing cannot be referred to as peer-reviewed.
If a different version of the work has been published, check with your publisher to make sure the copyright agreement of the work allows for you to self-archive in the NDSU Repository or elsewhere.
- Sherpa Romeo
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Sherpa Romeo is an online resource that aggregates and analyses publisher open access policies. Summarizes publisher copyright and open access archiving policies on a journal-by-journal basis.
- Sponsor
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An organization which sponsors or supports some aspect of a resource. May include organizations that provide grants or other research funding, or host events, like workshops, conferences, conventions, symposiums, or other professional meetings.