Scholars Commons @ Laurier

Scholars Commons @ Laurier is an online collection of the intellectual output of the members of the Wilfrid Laurier University community. Scholars Commons collects, preserves, and disseminates, securely and reliably, the intellectual and creative digital works of the university faculty, staff, and selected students. Its purpose is to make the university output accessible to a wider audience than traditional forms of distribution. By sharing this content globally through the Internet, the university supports open scholarly communication, collaborative research, and lasting visibility and recognition for scholarship at Laurier.

All theses and dissertations, since mid-2014 are deposited in Scholars Commons.  Most theses and dissertations prior to 2011 have also been added.  

Submission and approval is managed by FGPS, though technical questions can be sent to scholarscommons@wlu.ca 

When submitting, the following should be considered:

• Accessibility - has your document been created with accessibility in mind (e.g. use of headings, alt text for images, etc.)
• Copyright - if you are reproducing any items (e.g. tables or images), do you have the correct permissions.  If you have published an article that is now a chapter, does your author agreement allow this.  Most publishers will agree to this when permission is sought, if not covered by your author agreement.
• Embargo Periods - if will you be publishing any of your work, you can place an embargo of up to three years (form provided by FGPS).

Usage

You will get regular reports of the number of downloads and dissertations.  In addition, PlumX is available on the main page of your work and will provide social media usage.

Scholars Commons can host faculty open access publications, including post-prints and published versions depending on what the author agreement or journal allows.  There are two ways to post your material:

• Email the publication to scholarscommons@wlu.ca
  • We will also review a list of publications to determine what can be posted
• Submit it through Scholars Commons

We host only published material and select grey literature, if you aren't sure if it qualifies, please contact Scholars Commons.  We will review all publications to determine eligibility, if you have signed or paid for for open access, please notify us. 

There is also a Reports and Papers section on the site for centres or projects to host their open access output.  We are also happy to discuss the potential for opportunities to host your work within our policies and the capabilities of the site.

For more on Author Rights, APC discounts, and Open Access, see the Scholarly Communication page.

There are currently five open access journals hosted on Scholars Commons. 

• Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections
• Canadian Military History
• Consensus: A Canadian Journal of Public Theology
• The Goose: a Journal of Arts, Environment and Culture in Canada
• Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts (LUJA)

Journal hosting is provided and at no cost.  If you are interested in starting a journal and/or having it hosted on Scholars Commons, please contact Charlotte Innerd. 

Within the policies of Scholars Commons and with a view to long term preservation, we will consider hosting other projects.  Contact Charlotte Innerd to discuss a potential project.