Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - UNI ScholarWorks


General FAQs

What is UNI ScholarWorks?

UNI ScholarWorks is UNI's institutional repository and is designed to preserve and make available research and creative works from the University of Northern Iowa community. It provides access to the depth and breadth of the University’s intellectual assets.

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How does UNI ScholarWorks benefit the University of Northern Iowa?

Preservation - The commitment to long-term preservation, security, and stewardship eliminates losses endemic to the many departmental and personal electronic storage options.

Open access - Materials stored in UNI ScholarWorks, which are searchable in Google, offer enhanced visibility over print publication, attracting new audiences and opportunities for collaboration.

Enhanced author profiles - Regular submission and archiving of works to UNI ScholarWorks provides an author with a central archive and a record of publications for a CV.

Potential cost savings - UNI ScholarWorks reduces the cost and time associated with publication in traditional journals, while simultaneously not precluding that option.

Promotes the value and status of UNI - A concentration of important output in UNI ScholarWorks will heighten public awareness of UNI. This increased presence will demonstrate educational, social, and economic values that can translate into tangible benefits, including funding, recruitment, and broad recognition of subject expertise.

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What kinds of materials do you collect?

We collect a wide range of scholarly and creative works from the UNI community, including materials like:

  • Pre-prints and post prints of articles [author manuscripts]
  • Published journal articles [openly licensed or with permission confirmed]
  • Working papers & reports
  • Conference papers & presentations
  • Books, series, and journals
  • Theses, dissertations, and non-culminating projects
  • Images
  • Sound & video recordings
For more information, view our Collection Development Guidelines.

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What files types are accepted?

UNI ScholarWorks accepts most file formats.

The preferred formats for submission are:

  • PDF for text
  • WAV for audio
  • MOV or MP4 for video
  • TIF for image

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How do I submit my work as a student?

Theses, dissertations, a majority of non-thesis graduate projects, and honors theses are processed through the Graduate College and Honors Program, respectively. When you submit a paper or project for approval with your respective college or program, you'll be prompted to fill out a permission form for the UNI ScholarWorks repository.

Student conferences, like Inspire or SURP, have a designated permission form set up. Student authors will be contacted regarding submission to UNI ScholarWorks after the student conference has occurred.

If a student is interested in submitting a work that falls outside of the above categories, they should contact for more information.

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How do I submit my work as a faculty or staff member?

Faculty and staff are able to submit their research directly to UNI ScholarWorks via the Submit Research form in the Faculty Publications collection.

If a faculty or staff member has a large number of publications to submit, a larger multi-part project, or any other questions about submitting their works, they should contact for more information.

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How do I submit a work that I only have a physical copy of?

Digital Scholarship staff can help with digitization of materials to be added to UNI ScholarWorks. If you have materials that you would like to digitize and add to UNI ScholarWorks, please contact us at to discuss the project.

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How do I revise a submission?

If the submission has been posted to the repository, you may request revision by contacting the repository administrator with the new version.

If the submission has been submitted, but not yet posted, you may revise it via your My Account page:

  1. Locate the article on your My Account page, and click the title.
  2. Click Revise Submission from the list of options in the left sidebar.
  3. Enter your changes in the Revise Submission form, and click Submit at the bottom of the page to submit your changes. (You only need to modify the portion of the form that corresponds to the changes you wish to make.)

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How do copyright and licensing apply to my submissions to ScholarWorks?

As creator, you retain non-exclusive rights to your work. By agreeing to store your material in UNI ScholarWorks, you are not transferring your rights to the Library or the University and remain free to publish in other venues. If rights associated with your work also apply to co-authors, sponsors, publishers or others, the UNI ScholarWorks team will endeavor to assist you in meeting legal and contractual obligations before uploading to UNI ScholarWorks.

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Can materials be removed from UNI ScholarWorks?

UNI ScholarWorks is intended to be a permanent record; therefore, removing content from public viewing is discouraged. Authors wishing to remove or update their content should contact the repository administrator at .

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Can materials from UNI ScholarWorks be made digitally accessible?

UNI ScholarWorks and Rod Library maintain a large collection of digital and digitized archival content. All materials created before April 26, 2027, fall under the Archived Web Content exception outlined in ADA Title II regulations. Accessible versions of content that qualify for the Archived Web Content exception will be made available upon request.

Digital Accessibility Request Form

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Who do I contact for more information?

Contact Olivia Waller, Digital Services Coordinator, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

(319) 273-6256

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Resources

University of Northern Iowa local resources:

Broader resources:

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