CommonKnowledge User Guide

CommonKnowledge is the home of the collected scholarship and creative works of Pacific University faculty, staff and students - and of their collaborators from around the world. These open collections, organized and made accessible by the Pacific University Libraries, demonstrate Pacific's commitment to the idea that shared information and academic collaboration are essential to the "progress of knowledge" in our global community.

This guide is intended to support all Pacific University students, faculty, staff, and affiliates submitting works to CommonKnowledge.

Q: Is submitting to CommonKnowledge the same thing as publishing?
A: Yes, though it is different from traditional publishing. Depositing scholarly works in an institutional repository is a form of Open Access Publishing. The work is being made available online and may even undergo a similar peer review and editorial process to traditional publishing, but it will be freely and immediately accessible. In traditional publishing, manuscripts endure a more lengthy process; they are submitted, reviewed and approved/denied, edited, selected for a certain volume/issue, and subject to the transfer and restriction of author rights, among other things.

Q: Will I lose any rights by depositing my work in CommonKnowlege?
A: Never! Depositors grant Pacific the non-exclusive right to store their work, but retain all rights, including copyright and the right to submit the work to publishers or other repositories. Visit the Copyright & Licensing tab of this guide to learn more about the deposit agreement and the rights you retain as an author/creator!

Q: What are the benefits of depositing works in the institutional repository?
A: CommonKnowledge provides a way for members of the Pacific community to extend the reach of their intellectual inquiry and creative expression; sharing beyond their disciplines to also allow their work to be discovered and used in new and unanticipated ways. CommonKnowledge also serves as a consistent, long-term home for work created at Pacific University. By contributing their work to CommonKnowledge, students, faculty and staff can be assured that their documents and files will be preserved and be available in perpetuity (which is helpful when placing links to work on resumes, websites, etc.).

Q: Can I submit to CommonKnowledge and publish the same work in an academic journal or monograph (book)?
A: Yes! Student and Faculty works can be deposited in the repository as pre- or post-print copies of the published work (also referred to as an Accepted Manuscript, or Author's Final Version). See the Visibility Settings tab of this guide for more information on how to set up your deposit so that there are no conflicts with your publisher's policies. Visit Sherpa Romeo and search for any publisher to learn what their policies are.

Q: Do the Libraries provide editorial services?
A: No, the Libraries are not able to do any editing for CommonKnowledge submissions

If you have not already created a CommonKnowledge account, you will need to do so before you can submit works to the repository. Please note that an @pacificu.edu email address is required in order to create an account. Step-by-step instructions are below:

1. Open this link: https://dashboard.commons.pacificu.edu/users/sign_up
2. Enter your first and last name, Pacific email address, and a password
3. Click Create Account
4. Check your email - CommonKnowledge will send a confirmation to your email from noreply@pacificu.us.ubiquityrepository.website
5. Open the email and click Confirm my account.
6. Bookmark this page for login: https://commons.pacificu.edu/

Elements of this guide were adopted from “ScholarsArchive@OSU User Guide” by Oregon State University Libraries & Press, used under CC BY-NC 4.0. Information adapted for use by Pacific University Libraries.