Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Spectrum FAQ

1. What is Spectrum?
2. How does depositing in Spectrum increase research impact?
3. How much use do items in Spectrum get?
4. Who can deposit?
5. What can be deposited?
6. How can a Concordia author deposit?
7. Can retrospective or only new items be deposited?
8. What about research that is not in an electronic format?
9. Can material with an unusual file type or file size be deposited?
10. What if a publication is already deposited somewhere else?
11. Can a published article be deposited in Spectrum?
12. How does the version of a deposit differ from its publication status?
13. What if a publisher does not allow self-archiving?
14. What about a publication that has multiple authors?
15. Who holds copyright on items in Spectrum?
16. How will the material be used?
17. What is the difference between Spectrum Concordia University Research Repository’s Non-Exclusive Licence AND the Thesis Non-Exclusive Licence?
18. Is it possible to assign a Creative Commons licence to a work in Spectrum?
19. Is it possible to assign a DOI to a work in Spectrum?
20. What is an ORCID?
21. What about plagiarism?
22. How long are things accessible?
23. Can access to items in Spectrum be restricted (aka embargoed)?
24. Who can help me?

1. What is Spectrum?
   

   Spectrum is Concordia’s research repository where Concordia authors can deposit a digital copy of their research publications. Anyone in the world with access to the Web can visit Spectrum and read the publications. Authors may deposit copies of research articles, conference papers, book chapters, images, PowerPoint presentations, or other materials that reflect research activity. Most journal publishers allow deposit of a copy of an article in a repository. Doing so increases readership and will likely result in more impact for Concordia authors’ research.
   
   Each publication stored in Spectrum will have its own lasting web address. Spectrum is regularly crawled by Google and Google Scholar, so work will be findable in these search engines.
   
   
   

2. How does depositing in Spectrum increase research impact?
   

   Research repositories benefit faculty members by bringing about broader dissemination, increased use and enhanced professional visibility of their scholarly research.
   
   When work reaches a wider audience, it often leads to an increase in citations. According to Peter Suber, open access to research publications increases the audience for a work far beyond the audience of any priced journal, even the most prestigious or popular journal. Studies in many fields show a correlation between open access and citation-count increases from 50% to 250%. See http://opcit.eprints.org/oacitation-biblio.html
   
   
   

3. How much use do items in Spectrum get?
   

   Spectrum provides download statistics for each item. At the bottom of the page for each and every item, Spectrum shows how many times the full-text document has been downloaded. Also at the bottom of each item page is Altmetric data, which appears if your publication has a DOI and online shares and mentions.
   
   
   

4. Who can deposit?
   

   Spectrum is a repository for research produced by Concordia researchers. Published and peer-reviewed materials can be deposited.  Additionally, Concordia theses and dissertations are housed in Spectrum. Research publications by students may also be considered for deposit.
   
   A Concordia NetName is required to deposit publications in Spectrum.
   
   
   

5. What can be deposited?
   

   Spectrum is a record of research activity. It is a venue for journal articles, conference papers or presentations and other scholarly creations. Spectrum’s software can support a variety of digital file formats. Word documents, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, images and media files may be deposited. Questions about what can be deposited in Spectrum may be sent to lib-spectrum@concordia.ca
   
   For datasets, researchers may alternatively wish to deposit in a data repository (more information). More specifically, faculty, students, and staff can deposit their datasets in the Concordia University Dataverse. This data repository can also support a wide variety of digital formats, but is particularly suitable for tabular data (SPSS, R, Stata, and Excel files) as it converts and archives these types of files in an application-neutral, easily-readable, preservation friendly format. Questions about Dataverse can be sent to lib-research.data@concordia.ca
   
   
   

6. How can a Concordia author deposit?
   

   Spectrum’s software is designed for authors to deposit their work by uploading the document itself to the repository and filling out a form with basic information about the publication. The deposit process can be completed in minutes. It is possible for a departmental, graduate or research assistant with a Concordia NetName to deposit on an author’s behalf. The Library can assist as well. Once research material has been deposited, a verification process by Spectrum editors ensures the accuracy of the publication information.
   
   
   

7. Can retrospective or only new items be deposited?
   

   Any scholarly material can be deposited in Spectrum. It may be easier to begin with more recent research.
   
   
   

8. What about research that is not in an electronic format?
   

   Since Spectrum is a digital repository, electronic versions of articles and other publications must be uploaded. Contact Spectrum (lib-spectrum@concordia.ca) to discuss the deposit of a print version of a publication.
   
   
   

9. Can material with an unusual file type or file size be deposited?
   

   File size limitations and recommended file formats for preservation and access are listed in the Spectrum Guidelines.
   
   
   

10. What if a publication is already deposited somewhere else?
    

    Publications can be deposited in multiple repositories.
    
    What if it’s already on a web page?
    Spectrum does not replace personal homepages, but deposit within the repository has advantages over homepages. For example, unless an author controls the website, there is no guarantee that it will be available in the future. There is no need to remove work from an existing website. Depositing a copy of a paper in Spectrum creates an additional access point. A link to an existing web site can be inserted in Spectrum. During the submission process, add the URL in the "Additional URLs" field.
    
    What if it’s already in an OA archive such as “arXiv.org”?
    It is very easy to obtain a publication that has already been deposited in an open access archive and then deposit it again into Spectrum.
    
    
    

11. Can a published article be deposited in Spectrum?

    
    Check the publisher’s policy on self-archiving at the Sherpa Romeo website:
    https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo
    
    Sherpa Romeo allows authors to search by publisher name, journal name or ISSN. The website gives precise information about self-archiving (which version to deposit, existence of an embargo period or not, compliance with open access funder mandates, etc.).
    If a publisher’s name or journal name does not appear in the Sherpa Romeo database, contact the publisher directly.
    
    
    

12. How does the version of a deposit differ from its publication status?
    

    The version of a manuscript deposited in Spectrum identifies a particular iteration of the document itself. During the deposit process, the version of a journal article can be selected using the Content field. The primary options are Published version, Accepted version, and Submitted version.

    • Published version: includes the changes made by the publisher when preparing the manuscript for publication. This includes formatting, layout, pagination, and changes made as a result of copy editing. Publishers often do not allow this version to be deposited in a repository. This version can also be called the publisher’s PDF or version of record.
    • Accepted version: This is the final version of the manuscript after formal peer-review but before being typeset by the publisher. It contains all revisions made during the peer-review process. This version can also be called: post-print, AAM, accepted manuscript, author accepted manuscript, or accepted author manuscript.
    • Submitted version: This is the draft of the manuscript before formal peer-review, or the first version of a paper submitted to a journal or a conference. This version may then be revised by the author as a result of comments made by reviewers. The version can also be called: pre-print, author’s manuscript, original manuscript, or first draft.
    
    Publication status differs from version in that it doesn’t refer to the specific document being deposited but to the work’s journey through the publication process. During the deposit into Spectrum, the publication status of a work can be selected with the Status field. The primary options are Published, In Press, Submitted, or Unpublished.
    
    
    • Published: this status indicates that the work, at the time of deposit, has already been published.
    • In Press: this status is functionally equivalent to "Accepted." It indicates that a final form of the work has been determined and approved for publication though, at the time of deposit, the work has not yet been published.
    • Submitted: this status indicates that the work has been submitted for consideration but may still be revised or even rejected.
    • Unpublished: this status indicates that the work has not, at the time of deposit, been submitted to a publisher for consideration.
    
    To illustrate the distinction between version and publication status, consider that many publishers do not allow for published versions to be archived in a repository. Thus, a user could deposit an Accepted (post-print) or Submitted (pre-print) version of a work that has already appeared in a journal with the status marked as Published.
    
    
    

13. What if a publisher does not allow self-archiving?
    

    Authors are encouraged to write to the publisher and request flexibility in self-archiving. Often, a publisher will give permission to deposit in a repository.
    
    Before publishing an article, the SPARC Author’s Addendum is a useful tool to help secure an author’s rights:
    
    

    • The SPARC Canadian Author’s Addendum secures an author’s rights.
      See this explanatory brochure on the subject: SPARC Author Rights Brochure in English
      
      
    • Authors can submit the SPARC Canadian Author’s Addendum to Publication Agreement:
      Use one of these forms: Canadian SPARC Author Addendum in English (PDF)
    
    
    

14. What about a publication that has multiple authors?
    

    Depositing authors are responsible for ensuring that they have permission to deposit a research article in Spectrum, including ensuring that co-authors allow the deposit.
    
    
    

15. Who holds copyright on items in Spectrum?
    

    Concordia University does not claim copyright on anything deposited in Spectrum. Authors who deposit in Spectrum agree to make the work available under the default Spectrum Terms of Access or one of the Creative Commons licences. Depositing authors agree to grant the University a non-exclusive right to the work available online. Spectrum is a mechanism for disseminating the work of Concordia authors. Much of the work that will be deposited in Spectrum will have already been published elsewhere. Spectrum is an additional venue for making work accessible on the Web.
    
    If an author has transferred copyright to the journal publisher at the time of publication the author will need to determine if the publisher allows deposit in a repository. Use Sherpa Romeo service (https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/).
    
    
    

16. How will the material be used?
    

    Anything deposited in Spectrum is for personal research or study use only.
    
    Research will be accessible to people at institutions whose libraries may not have subscriptions to all journals in which Concordia authors have been published. Readers will find work in Spectrum when they search Google, Google Scholar or when they visit Spectrum directly. The material deposited in Spectrum will be downloaded, printed, read, used, cited and discussed in the same way as material that is published in journal articles or on a web site.
    
    
    

17. What is the difference between Spectrum Concordia University Research Repository’s Non-Exclusive Licence AND the Thesis Non-Exclusive Licence?
    

    Graduate students depositing a Concordia thesis agree to the Thesis Non-Exclusive Licence. Further information on this topic can be found in the Copyright Guide for Thesis preparation. Concordia researchers depositing other kinds of research, such as preprints and post-prints, agree to the terms of the Non-Exclusive Licence.
    
    
    

18. Is it possible to assign a Creative Commons licence to a work in Spectrum?
    

    Yes. If an author holds sufficient copyright for the item being deposited in Spectrum, a Creative Commons licence can be selected. This is entirely optional. Creative Commons licences explain to readers and users of the work what uses are permitted.
    
    
    

19. Is it possible to assign a DOI to a work in Spectrum?
    

    Items that do not already have a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) may be assigned one through Spectrum. Write to lib-spectrum@concordia.ca to see if a DOI can be minted for your Spectrum deposit.
    
    
    

20. What is an ORCID?
    

    An ORCID iD is a unique, persistent digital identifier assigned to an individual researcher which disambiguates them from other researchers (e.g. 0000-0002-7256-0127). Unlike other research identifiers, ORCID is open source, open access, and non-profit. It also easily links to other IDs and their metrics.

    ORCID is fully integrated with Spectrum. Concordia depositors can opt to connect with their ORCID iD, or to create one. ORCID iDs are displayed as links in Spectrum citations. For more information, see Concordia’s page about ORCID.
    
    
    

21. What about plagiarism?
    

    When work is deposited in Spectrum it will be on an official Concordia website, and the name and institutional affiliation will be prominent. The date and time the work was deposited will be visible; authorship of an article or idea is date stamped. Spectrum increases access to research. Work that is widely available is cited more than work which is published only in subscription-based sources.
    
    This disclaimer appears in each Spectrum record:
    “All items in Spectrum are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved.”
    
    
    

22. How long are things accessible?
    

    Spectrum preserves research material and will maintain backup copies for security and preservation. Formats may be migrated, but the content will not change. The University is committed to providing ongoing access to and preservation of the digital publications contained in Spectrum.
    
    
    

23. Can access to items in Spectrum be restricted (aka embargoed)
    

    Yes. Some publishers allow versions of published articles to be deposited in an institutional repository, but only if an embargo is applied. Embargo periods can vary from 6 months to 4 years.

    Graduate students can also put an embargo of up to two years after the convocation date on their thesis or dissertation. However, there are several advantages to making a thesis or dissertation immediately available. These include disseminating the research as widely as possible, curtailing plagiarism by showing when the thesis was made available, increasing the opportunity for citation, and promoting contacts with like-minded researchers. Some believe that making their thesis or dissertation freely available online will diminish their chances of getting their work published. However, a 2013 study (Ramirez. CR&L. 74:4 (2013)) revealed that, although some conditions for acceptance may apply, only 7.3% of university press directors would not consider publishing a manuscript that came from a thesis or dissertation that was freely available online in an institutional repository.
    
    
    

24. Who can help me?
    

    Questions about theses should be directed to the Thesis Office in the School of Graduate Studies: thesis@concordia.ca
    Contact Spectrum at lib-spectrum@concordia.ca.