Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Open Access Kent State
  2. Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is OAKS?

Open Access Kent State (OAKS) is Kent State University Libraries’ institutional repository (IR), which highlights the scholarship at all of Kent State University's campuses and locations. OAKS collects, preserves, and provides open access to the intellectual output of Kent State in digital format. OAKS is managed by Kent State University Libraries and is built on the open source Islandora stack.

 

What is open access?

Open Access is the free, immediate, online availability of research articles coupled with the rights to use them fully in the digital environment. See more on Open Access from SPARC. 

 

How do I contact an administrator of OAKS?

You may contact us at  oaks@kent.edu

 

How can I contribute my publications to OAKS?

You can either submit directly at https://oaks.kent.edu/submit or contact us at oaks@kent.edu.

You may also send us a copy of your curriculum vitae (CV) or a list of publications and we will handle it from there. 

If you are an existing faculty, staff or student at KSU, you can log-in here using your Flashline credentials, on the left-hand side of the page: https://oaks.kent.edu/submit

If you are not, you can request an OAKS account using the instructions on the right side of the page: https://oaks.kent.edu/submit

    

What is an Orcid ID or other researcher identifiers? 

An Orcid ID is a free, unique identifier that researchers can obtain that helps to distinguish their scholarly output. More information is available at : https://orcid.org/

The use of a unique identifier has many benefits; from disambiguation of commons names, more easily track publications and grants through the use of services like Orcid or ResearcherID.

 

What is a DOI?

A Digital Object Identifier, abbreviated DOI, is a persistent identifier used to identify academic, professional, and government information, such as journal articles, research reports and data sets, and other publications. Some content of OAKS (such as student media publications) have DOIs created by KSU, while other content (such as journal publications) may come with pre-existing DOIs. These identifiers are very useful as part of long-term digital preservation.

 

Can related files (sound clips, data sets, etc.) be posted alongside the published article?

Yes. OAKS can accept multiple files per item. 

OAKS allows for long-term data storage and preservation at the conclusion of projects, and is administered by University Libraries. All Kent State faculty, students, and staff may utilize it free of charge. As an Open Access repository, data can be made accessible worldwide. No costs are associated with this service. A persistent URL will be associated with the contributed content, and if requested, a DOI will be created as well. If the data requires an embargo and cannot be broadly shared immediately, a metadata record will be viewable while the data remains restricted. Data must be de-identified before submission to the institutional repository.

 

How do I access content?

 

Some files, such as PDFs and audio, will have in-browser viewing functionality and will not necessitate a download to access. For other file formats, users must download the necessary software to open and access content. 

 

Can I use content that I have found in OAKS?

Please be sure that there are no permissions issues related to use of the associated material within the submitted item(s). Sometimes, especially with images, you must write a letter seeking permission to use the material before it can be posted.

Also note that where possible, items such as images, charts and tables that are referenced in the document (or otherwise an integral part of the document) should be included directly in the article itself and not posted just as associated files.

More information on rights and reuse can be found here: https://oaks.kent.edu/rights.html

 

What is a Creative Commons (CC) license?

Known as “some rights reserved,” these easy-to-apply copyright licenses provide a simple, standardized way to communicate permissions to share and use creative works, with conditions specified by the copyright owner. There is no charge to apply a CC license.

 

Can a reprint from a journal be posted?

It depends on what the specific journal allows, which is usually specified in their agreement with the author. Contact the repository administrator (oaks@kent.edu) and we will seek permission to post your publications. If the license agreement permits, content can be included into OAKS. Depending on what the publisher or rights holder allows, we may post a final copy or we may post a postprint, which is the draft issued to the author after peer review, if available. Permissions for many publishers can be found at SHERPA RoMEO.

A pre-print is the original version submitted to a publisher before peer review and potential revision has occurred. 

A post-print is the final edited version, before the paper is formatted for final publication.

    

A working paper in the repository site has been published in a slightly revised form in a journal. What should I do?

Many journals do not have any restrictions on working papers that preceded an article, especially if substantial revisions were made. You should check the author agreement with the journal to confirm that there is no problem with leaving the working paper in the IR. **OAKS would constitute noncommercial use.

 Assuming the working paper does remain on posted in the repository, it is a good idea to include the citation to the published article on the cover page of the repository working paper. Please contact the repository administrator (oaks@kent.edu) to request this change.

 

What if I'm a publisher or copyright owner with questions about content on this site?

Kent State University Libraries (KSUL) makes every effort to ensure that it has appropriate rights or permission to provide access to content through OAKS. These materials are made freely available for educational and scholarly use.

If you are a rights holder and are concerned that material has been posted on OAKS without your permission and believe our inclusion of this material on the IR violates your rights, please contact oaks@kent.edu and include the following:

  •         Your contact information (including email address and phone)

  •         Exact URL where you found the material

  •         Details that describe the material (title, collection name, number of items, etc.)

  •         A rationale why you believe that your rights have been violated, with any pertinent documentation

  •         A statement that you in good faith believe that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law

  •         A statement that the information in your notification is accurate and that you are the rights holder or are authorized to act on behalf of the owner

  Upon receipt of a request, KSUL staff will:

  •         Acknowledge the request via email (or other means of communication if you do not have an email account) within five business days

  •         Assess the validity of the request

  •         Upon completion of the assessment, KSUL will take appropriate action and communicate that action to you.

 

What are the DPLA rights statements that appear with some content?

Rightsstatements.org provides 12 different rights statements that can be used by cultural heritage institutions to communicate the copyright and re-use status of digital objects to the public. These have been used in OAKS for content that is included in the national Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) project. https://dp.la/ 

 

What are Copyright Transfer Agreements (CTAs)?

CTAs, sometimes known as Copyright Assignment Agreements, are agreements signed by two parties that transfer copyright ownership from one person to another. The CTA specifies how the original copyright owners (authors), may use the content transferred to publishers. In the context of an IR, they may indicate whether or not the authors may self-archive their research articles in an IR and what versions may be archived such as pre-print, post-print, or publisher’s PDF.

More information on rights and reuse can be found here: https://oaks.kent.edu/rights.html

 

Where are the KSU theses and dissertations?

As a member of OhioLINK, Kent State University participates in the OhioLINK ETD Center, an open access database of Ohio's undergraduate, masters, and doctoral theses and dissertations from participating OhioLINK member schools. ETDs from 2014 to present are included, along with selected pre-2014 digitized theses and dissertations, Honors Papers, and Liberal Studies Essays.

 

Last updated 2/10/2020

 

https://oaks.kent.edu/faq.html