Help
Services for Authors
FAQs

Help

If you have questions regarding the repository or need assistance:

Email : nova@newcastle.edu.au Telephone : 02 492 15861, or 02 492 17104

Services for University of Newcastle authors

For University of Newcastle Author's wishing to submit into the repository, staff in the Library will assist you by:

  • Checking the copyright permissions associated with your publication, etc, on your behalf.
  • Verifying and including the citation/publication details of your work within the repository.
  • Converting any MS Word file/s to PDF format (if required and appropriate) for storage and access within the repository.
  • Exposing your publication in the repository to make it available to the global research community and discoverable via the Internet, e.g. Google, Google Scholar, etc.
  • Abiding by and managing any embargos associated with your publication or work

The University Library's Senior Librarian - Intellectual Property can also provide specific advice on copyright issues that may be of concern to authors.

FAQs

 

What is the purpose of NOVA?

NOVA is the University of Newcastle's Digital Repository and has been implemented to provide an open access portal to showcase scholarly and research output of the University of Newcastle. The content of NOVA is made accessible to the global research community and is discoverable via the Internet. NOVA will capture, store, index, preserve and redistribute the university's scholarly research in digital formats. This will highlight the overall research profile of the University as well as assist in maximising the impact for researchers.

Who can access NOVA?

NOVA is an 'open access' repository which can be freely accessed via the Internet and anyone with access to the Internet.

What type of material can be deposited Into NOVA?

Material deposited into NOVA should not infringe copyright. Material should be of a research or scholarly nature, examples includes digital copies of:

  • Journal articles
  • Conference papers
  • Books and book chapters
  • Theses
  • Working papers
  • Discussion papers
  • Images
  • Datasets
  • Multimedia
  • Documentation of creative works
  • Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) or Research Quality Framework(RQF) reportable material
  • Other material produced by staff or students that has been approved by the relevant Pro-Vice Chancellor or Head of School or their nominee

Other formats of material may be acceptable. Contact the NOVA Repository Manager for further inquiries.

What material is excluded from being deposited in NOVA?

Material that infringes copyright is excluded from inclusion in the repository. And in addition :

  • Material intended for commercialisation
  • Material of a confidential nature
  • Materials which, if disseminated by the repository would infringe a legal obligation of the University and/or the author(s) or the legal right of a third party
  • Teaching material
  • Administrative material

Why should I put my published materials in the repository - they're already publicly available in a journal?

In the first place it's easy to do, and once it's done, you know your work will be secure in the University's repository for years to come, with no issues of backups and maintenance. Should a colleague request copies of your scholarly materials, you simply give them the URL- there's no need to attach documents to emails.

In addition your online publications in the repository have the potential to receive a wider readership as access is freely available via the Internet, no passwords are required and no subscriptions costs are associated.

I already have my papers on my department web site. Can I put them into the repository as well?

Yes. Depositing your publications into NOVA is a good idea as the repository undertakes to maintain a link to your paper in a readable format into the future, and Google gives preferential treatment to materials in institutional repositories. This means your paper will appear higher up on the Google results list. Of course you'll still be able to link to the IR from the page you maintain in your department.

What about copyright?

It is common for authors to assign copyright to publishers in regard to their commercially published articles and conference papers. If you wish to deposit your research into NOVA, Library staff will assist you by determining the publisher's policy for archival within the institutional repository. If the published version of your work cannot be made available within the repository it may be possible to expose a post-print copy (the author's final version after peer review and editorial processes).

One of the following will need to apply before you can deposit the work into the repository:

  1. you as the author retain copyright ownership, or
  2. you have transferred your copyright ownership to the publisher however you have retained the right to deposit a version of your work into an institutional repository, or
  3. permission to deposit has subsequently been granted by the publisher.

Doesn't the publisher own the copyright in my published works?

Some publishers, such as Elsevier and Springer, allow authors to deposit the pre-publication version of their article into an IR, or we can link to the published version on the publisher's web site.
The 'Sherpa' project provides a searchable database of publisher policies regarding institutional repositories (IRs), and this is a good starting point. For conferences, it is best to contact the publisher of the conference proceedings directly.

What is a 'pre-print' and a 'post-print'?

A pre-print is the author's version of an academic paper which is submitted by the author to the publisher for peer review (e.g. for publication in a journal or conference proceedings). This version may be revised by the author as a result of the peer review process to incorporate feedback and comments made by the reviewers.
A post-print is the author's final version of an academic paper (or conference paper) which incorporates the revisions made by the author as a result of the peer review and editorial process; or as accepted for publication if no changes were made through the peer review process.

What formats are acceptable for the repository?

Almost all types of digital format can be submitted, including images and multimedia formats. However, we have determined that only certain formats can be supported; that is we are undertaking to keep them readable. These include formats such as PDF, Postscript, plain text, HTML, GIF, JPEG, and AIFF (for sound).

Who can help me with Copyright?

The University Copyright Officer can assist you with information regarding copyright issues. Repository staff within the Library can also assist you in determining the policies of publisher's with regard to their copyright agreements with authors.