FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Digital Commons

Selected Works

Electronic Theses and Dissertations by Graduate Students

Honors Thesis

General/Technical Questions

Who can submit content to Digital Commons?

Individuals affiliated with any LMU unit - schools, colleges, departments, research centers, institutes – can contribute content to Digital Commons.

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Why should I deposit my work with Digital Commons?

There are several advantages of depositing scholarly work with Digital Commons

    • Give back to the academic community through open access scholarship
    • Increase visibility of LMU faculty and student scholarship and the institution
    • Deliver relevant, timely, cost-effective information to scholars, students and practitioners
    • Allow for long-term preservation and accessibility of scholarly work
    • Showcase scholarly work that is underserved by traditional publishing models
    • Increase global impact by making content available internationally
    • Support teaching and research
    • Serve as a tool to attract scholars, both faculty and students
    • Support fundraising efforts: Digital Commons is a one-stop showcase for what we do and why we’re worth supporting

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What rights do I grant the University when I deposit my work in Digital Commons?

Contributors submitting materials to the Repository retain their rights to such materials, as described in the Intellectual Property Policy for Loyola Marymount University (December 1, 2008). The non-exclusive agreement acknowledged by contributors specifies that copyright holders retain all rights, title, copyright, and other interest in the materials submitted to the repository. In acknowledging the agreement, contributors also warrant, to the best of their knowledge, that they have permission to grant the rights contained in the agreement and that the submission does not infringe upon anyone else’s copyright.

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How do I deposit my work with Digital Commons?

To contribute content to Digital Commons, please email a copy of your CV to and the Digital Collection Librarian will contact you with the next steps.

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I don’t have time to digitize or locate all of my publications. Can the library deposit my work on my behalf?

Absolutely! We will assist with locating, digitizing, clearing copyright and depositing your published scholarship in Digital Commons. All you need to do is ask.

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What file formats are acceptable?

Digital Commons supports most discrete file formats for text, audio, video and image files. Submissions in PDF of textual works are encouraged. The library can provide assistance if a PDF of the work is not available or is in print format only.

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How do I determine the copyright to my work before submitting previously published work to Digital Commons?

The Library will assist with identifying copyright status and obtaining copyright clearance (when possible) for any published works.

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I don't have electronic versions of old working papers that I'd like to include in the repository. Is it okay to scan the printed page to a PDF file?

Yes--scanning printed pages is a great way to create PDF files for inclusion in the repository. There are two ways to scan a page: using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) or scanning the page as an image. Making OCR scans requires careful proofreading and loses the original formatting of the documents. Image scans cannot be searched. The best solution takes advantage of both of these methods. Many software applications allow for the OCR capture of image scans. When documents are scanned this way, users see the image scan but search the full-text of the document. This is the preferred method for scanning documents for the repository.

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Can I submit the work myself?

Yes, you can submit work to Digital Commons yourself after receiving the necessary permissions to do so. Email to express your interest in doing this work yourself, and a librarian will get in touch to help you get started.

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Can I withdraw a deposit?

Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount and Loyola Law School is considered a permanent archive of the scholarly output of Loyola Marymount University community. Once deposited, a work cannot be withdrawn; however, under some circumstances, it may be removed from view. .

The following instances may result in a removal:

  • The appearance of the work in the institutional repository violates a copyright agreement, such as an agreement between an author and a journal publisher.
  • Authors or affected parties may request that works be removed for reasons of factual inaccuracy, plagiarism, or potential copyright infringement.
  • Works may be removed if the authors fail to comply with policies and procedures mandated by the Research Advancement and Compliance Office.
  • The work has been determined to contain false or libelous claims toward another individual or group.

Works may not be withdrawn when a depositor leaves Loyola Marymount University.

Requests for removal should be directed to and should include the item title, URL, and reasons for withdrawal. No materials will be removed without an attempt to reach the author.

If the request results in a successful removal, the full bibliographic citation of the work will remain in Digital Commons @ LMU/LLS with a note regarding the removal, e.g. “removed at request of author,” or “removed at the discretion of …,” or “removed by legal order.”

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What is SelectedWorks? 

SelectedWorks is an optional add-on to Digital Commons. It is a space for LMU faculty to create and manage their own personal researcher pages. Content from Digital Commons can be collected into and cross-referenced with SelectedWorks sites.

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What is the difference between SelectedWorks and Digital Commons?

Digital Commons is managed by the William H. Hannon Library and the William M. Rains Library, and is a space to permanently archive and showcase the collective scholarly and creative work generated by faculty, staff, and students of Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. Works submitted to Digital Commons are organized chronologically and organized by department, research unit or center that authors are affiliated with.

SelectedWorks is an online space for LMU faculty and staff to manage their own personal collections of their scholarly and creative output. While there may be some overlap in content between Digital Commons and SelectedWorks, content that is posted to SelectedWorks can be deleted or organized by the individual at any time.

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What types of materials can be contributed to Digital Commons?

  • LMU faculty and staff published (peer reviewed) articles and other scholarly work
  • Research and Student Journals (including archival content)
  • Colloquia & Lectures
  • Conferences & Symposia
  • Alumni Magazines and Newsletters
  • Student Theses and Dissertations, Articles, and Papers
  • Presentations (including multimedia)
  • Working papers
  • Clinical work
  • Datasets

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What types of materials can be contributed to SelectedWorks?

In addition to works listed under Digital Commons, authors

  • Working papers
  • Grant proposals
  • Course materials, instructional materials
  • Presentations (posters, multimedia)
  • Conference papers
  • Research and teaching interests
  • CVs
  • Reports
  • Unpublished papers
  • Press interviews
  • Reviews in popular media
  • Blog posts

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How do I create a SelectedWorks page?

Any LMU faculty can create their own SelectedWorks page at http://works.bepress.com/ and once created, the library gets a notification to authorize the site for inclusion in our SelectedWorks Gallery.

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Why should I deposit my thesis or dissertation in Digital Commons?

Depositing a copy of your thesis or dissertation with the Library will ensure permanent archiving and dissemination of the electronic version of your thesis or dissertation in an open access environment, i.e. it will be freely available to the LMU community and to the general public.

Other reasons include but are not limited to:

  • Give back to the academic community through open access scholarship
  • It will increase visibility of student scholarship and the institution
  • Increase global impact by making content available freely available
  • Serve to attract other students to LMU

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Who owns the copyright to theses and dissertations?

Students retain copyright to their theses and dissertations in Digital Commons. Digital Commons requires a non-exclusive license to archive and distribute student thesis or dissertations. Students retain the right to use their work in future publications or dissemination.

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Is there a fee associated with submitting theses and dissertations to Digital Commons?

There is no fee associated with submitting theses and dissertations to Digital Commons since the works are disseminated via an open access platform.

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Can the level of access be changed after submission of thesis or dissertation?

Yes, please contact to edit permissions.

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What did the Library previously do with theses and dissertations?

The library has been collecting bound paper copies of student theses and dissertations to add to its collection. The print copies were made freely available to the public and also freely available to those outside LMU who requested a copy through Inter Library Loan. The library will continue to catalog electronic theses and dissertations in the Library’s Catalog, but will use Digital Commons to disseminate theses and dissertations to users.

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How do I submit my thesis to Digital Commons?

The policies and procedures at the Library for submitting theses and dissertations are located here. Please note if you are in the Honors Program, see answer below.

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How do I submit my Honors Thesis to Digital Commons?

If you are in the Honors Program, please refer to the guidelines located here.

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I have more questions – whom should I contact?

The William H. Hannon Library can answer any additional questions not listed in the FAQ. Please contact . You may also contact our Digital Collections Librarian: Jessea Young at 310-258-7273 or .

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