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MetroWorks: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works

Learn more about MetroWorks, the institutional repository for Metro State University

Can I submit my works to MetroWorks?

Works produced by current faculty, staff, students, and faculty/staff emeriti of Metro State University can be voluntarily self-submitted to MetroWorks following the guidelines and consistent with the collection development policy below. Submissions should be research-based-scholarly or creative works, or works of institutional significance. Works outside this focus require special consideration on a case-by-case basis as reviewed by the Metro State University library faculty. Contact library.services@metrostate.edu with questions or for more details.

Collection guidelines

All work submitted to MetroWorks must be original work that is scholarly, creative, or research-oriented produced by Metro State University faculty, staff, and students. The work must also merit preservation and dissemination.

The following content is considered for MetroWorks:

  • Publications and creative works created by current faculty and staff, whether not that work has undergone external peer-review.
  • Culminating projects created by current students to meet degree requirements, including graduate theses, dissertations, and capstone projects.
  • Student Research Conference papers and presentations.
  • Open access (OA) articles and books and Open Educational Resources (OER) created by faculty, staff, and students during their time at the university.
  • On-campus conference proceedings and recordings.

Metro State University employees or student organizations may use MetroWorks as a publishing platform to maintain journals, annual reports, or proceedings from conferences organized and hosted by Metro State University. Journals published by outside academic or professional organizations will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Administrative and hosting fees may apply.

Submit my work to MetroWorks

Detailed directions forthcoming.

Can I withdraw, restrict, or embargo my work?

Withdrawing work

MetroWorks is a permanent repository. Before adding a work, a submitter should ensure that the work is complete, factually accurate, and that they have the right to make the work publicly available. Once a work is submitted, it will only be withdrawn under specific circumstances:

  • Legal order to remove the work
  • Alleged copyright infringement
  • Breach of contract or license agreement with publishers, employers, or funding bodies
  • Misconduct in research
  • Fabricated or falsified data

Works will not be removed due to spelling or grammatical errors, nor will Library and Information Services correct works for these errors.

If a removal request is approved, MetroWorks administrators will take one of the following actions, depending on the circumstances:

  • Restrict access to the item, leave information about the work visible, and add a note explaining the reason for the restriction.
  • Withdraw the item from the collection. It remains in a restricted access collection accessible only to administrators and no metadata about the work is publicly visible. Users attempting to access the item see a message indicating it is no longer available.
  • Remove the item completely. This happens in rare cases, usually due to a formal takedown notice for copyright infringement.

Metro State University retains the right to remove content from MetroWorks without notice, pending investigation, if there is a complaint from a third party, or it becomes evident that necessary permissions have not been secured.

For requests to withdraw, please email library.services@metrostate.edu and include: the title of the work, a link to the work, and the reason for requesting removal.

Embargoing work

As the copyright holder to a work, you may request that a work have an embargo for a specific period of time. This means that the work will not be visible to anyone to view or download until the embargo is lifted.

In support of the open access movement, Library and Information Services encourages you to think about sharing your work more openly to a wider audience to allow for more readers, collaborators, citations, and recognition. 

In some cases, if a work includes proprietary or confidential information or the work has been submitted to a publisher, the work can be embargoed for a specified period of time. Works can be embargoed for 6 months up to 5 years after the date of creation. MetroWorks can store your work and automatically make it open after the designated embargo expires.

Can I post files related to my work?

Related and supplemental files can also be posted with a work. Secure permission when submitting any supplementary files created by others. Additionally, charts, tables, and appendices referred to in the work should be included directly in the work and not submitted as a supplementary file.

Can I submit a multi-part file, such as multiple chapters of a book?

Combine all the sections together in one file and submit that.

Can I replace a work with a new version? How do I revise my submission?

If your submission is already posted, please resubmit the newer version and the request will be considered. You cannot edit an item already posted, so the revision or new edition will be posted in addition to the original version. In cases where a correction is made to a work, the corrected work will be made available as the primary download, but a note will be added to the record that describes the nature of the correction and when the corrected version became available.

If your submission is not yet posted, you may revise it via your My Account page:

  1. Locate the work on your My Account page and click the title.
  2. Click Revise Submission from the list of options.
  3. Enter your changes in the form and click Submit at the bottom of the page.

MetroWorks administrators do not revise, edit, or proofread submissions.

Ethical considerations

Works submitted must not violate any laws of the United States, laws of the state of Minnesota, university or Minnesota State policies (such as policies defined by Metro State University, the Metro State University Human Subjects Review Board [HSRB], or in Minnesota State System Procedure 1C.0.1 Employee Code of Conduct), breach proprietary contracts, infringe on patents or trade secrets, invade a person's or persons' privacy, or contain libelous materials.

MetroWorks administrators will not review submissions for violations, nor will Library and Information Services take responsibility to ensure that proper protocols (such as HSRB) were followed. It is the responsibility of the submitter to ensure that all proper protocols and laws are followed.

If a work is found to breach any laws or particular protocols, MetroWorks administrators will work with the library dean, any additional appropriate university of Minnesota State employees, and the submitter to resolve any issues.