Goethe University repository: Help and FAQ
The following information is a work in progress. For more information please visit the German version of this page.
General information- What is the Goethe University repository?
- Are publications on the repository Open Access?
- What do primary publication and self-archiving mean?
- Which document type does my publication correspond to?
- How do I create a PDF/A file? What technical requirements must the file fulfil?
- Can I publish publications on the repository that have already been published elsewhere?
- Under which licences can publications be published on the repository?
1. Objectives and content criteria for the Goethe University repository
2. General legal conditions
3. The electronic document
4. Rules for the publication of electronic documents
5. Technical features of the repository
6. Organisational regulations
General information
What is the Goethe University repository?
The repository is a service infrastructure for electronic publishing at Goethe University (GU). Here, GU members can publish scholarly publications on the Internet. Both primary publication and self-archiving of scholarly publications are possible. In this way, the repository enables Open Access publication via the Golden and Green Ways.
The repository serves as an institutional repository for GU, where all electronic publications by members of the university can be made accessible and archived. This includes ...
- publications that have been published Open Access through academic publishers
- electronic university publications (dissertation, habilitation)
- publications published by Goethe University or individual institutions (institutes, affiliated institutes, third-party funded project groups, etc.) that are freely accessible on the Internet
- self-archived publications by GU members
- publications that may be self-archived within the framework of Open Access transformation agreements.
In addition, the repository serves as the technical infrastructure ...
- for several Specialised Information Services that offer nationwide OA publication services for subject-specific target groups
- for the online archiving of digitised old holdings
- for making specific licenced electronic resources available.
Are publications on the repository Open Access?
Usually, publications on the repository are freely accessible on the Internet and can be read by everybody all over the world. Thus, an important criterium of the Open Access idea is fulfilled.
The concept of »Open Access«, however, also includes that published research results can be re-used as productively as possible (e. g. by making them available in other places or quoting them without limit). To enable this re-use, a free licence should be assigned wherever possible. Creative Commons Licenses are available for this purpose on the GU publication server. Find an overview over the licences available here.What do primary publication and self-archiving mean?
Primary publicationWhenever a work is published that was not previously accessible to the public, it is a primary publication. The form and the way of publication are irrelevant - including whether the publication appears free of charge or against payment, in print or electronically. Examples of a primary publication in an academic context are ...
- edition of a printed book by a publishing house
- publication of an article in an electronic scholarly journal, or of a contribution to an edited volume
- publication of a dissertation on a repository
- publication of a working paper on the homepage of a research institute
- publication in a scholarly blog
If scholarly publications appear directly in Open Access in the course of their primary publication, this is referred to as the Golden Way to Open Access.
Self-archivingSelf-archiving refers to the practice of making publications that have already been published - especially those that have been published in »closed access« - freely accessible in an Open access repository. This is referred to as the Green Way of Open Access. This is done on the initiative of the authors, who make the publications available on a repository themselves.
Authors' rights to re-publish their works are regulated by copyright law. In addition to these regulations, many publishers grant self-archiving rights for closed access publications. In some cases, certain restrictions or an embargo period must be observed. For more information, please see »Can I publish publications on the repository that have already been published elsewhere?« Publications can be self-archived in the following forms:
- Version of Record (VoR): the version of the publication produced by a publisher. Self-archiving of the VoR is often part of licence agreements between publishers and university libraries.
- Postprint or Author's Accepted Manuscript (AAM): The final version of the publication before it is put into layout by the publisher. In the case of publications that undergo peer review, this version already contains the revisions made in response to the reviews. German copyright law allows the publication of the manuscript version of scholarly articles after 12 months under certain conditions.
- Preprint: The version of a publication (usually a journal article) submitted for peer review. In many scientific disciplines in particular, the publication of preprints has become the rule, especially on subject-specific preprint servers (e.g. arXiv for physics), in order to make research results quickly accessible.
In its Open Access policy, Goethe University advocates Open Access publishing and encourages its members to make active use of their self-archiving rights.
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You would like to self-archive your publications? Please note our information on legal issues and contact us at publizieren[at]ub.uni-frankfurt.de. |
Help for publishing on the repository
Please visit this page for a step-by-step description of the upload process.Which document type does my publication correspond to?
On the repository, document types are used to determine the type of publication. The focus is on textual publications (scholarly articles, books, working papers, etc.). Under certain circumstances, the publication of images, sound or video material is also possible, as is the publication of supplementary material to scholarly articles.
Which document type applies to your publication depends on various factors. The most common document type, apart from dissertations, is the Article - this corresponds to an article, paper, review or similar that has been published in a scholarly journal. On the publication server, contributions to edited volumes are called »part of a book«. Please contact us if you are unsure which publication type applies to your publication. We also ask you to consult us if you would like to publish non-textual documents or supplemental material:
Via e-mail: publizieren[at]ub.uni-frankfurt.de
Via phone: 069 798 39562 oder -39393
The following information may serve as orientation:
- If your publication has not yet been published elsewhere (primary publication), one of the following document types will probably apply:
- Doctoral Thesis - if it is your doctoral dissertation.
- Habilitation - if it is your habilitation thesis
- Bachelor, Diplom, Master's or Magister's Thesis - if it is one of these qualification theses.
- Report - if it is a shorter publication with scholarly content
- Preprint - if it is a publication that has been submitted for publication in a scholarly journal that is currently in the peer review process
- Working Paper - if it is a preliminary scientific or technical paper that appears in a series published by, or on the homepage of, an institution, an institute, a working group or an externally funded project
- Conference Proceeding - if the publication is related (in terms of content) to a (past or future) conference, e.g. a conference paper, conference report, conference lecture, abstract, etc.
- Lecture - if it is a university speech, lecture or inaugural lectures
- If your publication has already been published (self-archiving), one of the following document types probably applies (please make sure that no third-party rights are infringed by the publication on the repository - more information on this can be found under »Legal issues« You are welcome to contact us using the above contact details):
- Article - if it is a contribution to a scholarly journal
- Part of a book - if it is a contribution to an edited volume
- Book - if it is a book or an edited volume
- Review - if it is a critical review or summary of another person's publication
- Conference Proceeding - If the publication is related (in terms of content) to a conference (already held or future), e.g. contributions in conference proceedings, conference papers, volumes of conference papers or similar.
Do not worry - as all publications are checked by us after submission, a document type that may not have been appropriately assigned will be corrected before publication.
How do I create a PDF/A file? What technical requirements must the file fulfil?
Please find instructions on how to create a PDF/A file in this document (German only). One of the methods described uses the PDF X-Change Editor software, which can be used free of charge by GU members on their work computers. Numerous further programmes also allow the creation of documents in the PDF/A format.
PDF/A is an international standard that was developed specifically for archiving documents. Saving in the PDF/A format ensures that the file can be displayed regardless of the platform, which is why it is particularly suitable for the long-term preservation of documents.
If you are unable to create PDF/A files, it is possible to submit your publication in the »regular« PDF format. Please do not enable any security restrictions in your PDF file. The file must not be copy protected or prohibit access in any other way. This is a requirement of the German National Library to ensure the long-term preservation of the document.
Legal issues
Disclaimer: None of the following information is to be regarded as legally binding. Neither is any information given to you by our staff in written or verbal form legally binding. Of course, we try to inform and advise you to the best of our knowledge about the legal framework of your publication on the GU publication server.
Can I publish publications on the repository that have already been published elsewhere?
Self-archiving or republishing of publications by GU members is one of the main functions of the repository. Whether self-archiving is legally possible depends on various factors. Some factors can be evaluated by authors themselves. You can use the following points as a guide. We will also be happy to support you in checking possible options.
- Publications that have been published under a Creative Commons licence can be self-archived at any time. You do not even need to fill in the deposit licence!
- German copyright law (§ 38 Abs. 4 UrhG) allows authors of contributions to a scholarly journal to publish them again after 12 months in the Author's Accepted Manuscript version. Clauses in the publication contract concluded with the publisher that contradict this are invalid.
- Many publishers have an OA policy that regulates secondary publication. The policies of many publishers can be found on the SHERPA/RoMEO project website.
- Many publishing agreements contain provisions on self-archiving and re-use of the publication. When signing a publication contract, we recommend that you contractually reserve the right to publish the electronic version on an institutional repository. Please also keep in mind that publishers often set conditions for self-archiving, e.g. allowing republication only after a specified embargo period.
- In some cases, licence agreements between university libraries and publishers also include self-archiving rights. We will be happy to provide you with information on this.
- In many cases, publishers allow self-archiving regardless of their policy or contractual arrangements. If the preceding points do not apply to your publication, you can contact the publisher and ask for permission to republish your work.
Under which licences can publications be published on the repository?
| As an author, you can determine yourself which terms of use should apply to your document. These conditions are specified in the licence. The Creative Commons licences grant rights of use that go beyond the narrow limits of copyright. The following licences are available on the publication server: | |
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Deutsches Urheberrecht German copyright law By submitting the general deposit licence or the Genehmigung zur Publikation einer Dissertation (agreement for dissertation publishing), you give the university library the (non-exclusive) right to publish the work freely accessible worldwide on the Internet. As the author, you retain all copyrights and continue to have the right to publish the publication elsewhere, to change it or to exploit it in any other way. |
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Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY) (more information) »Creative Commons: Namensnennung« Under this licence, the content may be reproduced, distributed and publicly performed, adaptations may be made and the content may be used commercially under the following condition: The name of the author(s)/rights holder(s) must be acknowledged. We recommend granting this licence for scholarly publications, as it enables the broadest possible productive re-use your of research results. Only in the case of Open Access books is it recommended to use the somewhat more restrictive CC-BY-SA licence (see below). |
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Creative Commons: Attribution - ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA) (more information) »Creative Commons: Namensnennung - Weitergabe unter gleichen Bedingungen« This licence allows the content to be reproduced, distributed and publicly performed under the following conditions: The name of the author(s)/rights holder(s) must be acknowledged. This content may be used for commercial purposes. The content may be modified (including translations of the work), but the modified version may only be distributed under the same licence as the original. We recommend this licence for open access books. |
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Creative Commons: Attribution - NoDerivatives (CC-BY-ND) (more information) »Creative Commons: Namensnennung - Keine Bearbeitung« This licence allows the content to be reproduced, distributed and publicly performed under the following conditions: The name of the author(s)/rights holder(s) must be acknowledged. This content may be used for commercial purposes. The content may not be edited or published in any modified form. |
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Creative Commons: Attribution - NonCommercial (CC-BY-NC) (more information) »Creative Commons: Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell« This licence allows the content to be reproduced, distributed and publicly performed under the following conditions: The name of the author(s)/rights holder(s) must be acknowledged. This content may not be used for commercial purposes. The content may be modified (including translations of the work). |
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Creative Commons: Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) (more information) »Creative Commons: Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell - Keine Bearbeitung« This licence allows the content to be reproduced, distributed and publicly performed under the following conditions: The name of the author(s)/rights holder(s) must be acknowledged. This content may not be used for commercial purposes. The content may not be edited or published in any modified form. |
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Creative Commons: Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike (CC-BY-NC-SA) (more information) »Creative Commons: Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell - Weitergabe unter gleichen Bedingungen« This licence allows the content to be reproduced, distributed and publicly performed under the following conditions: The name of the author(s)/rights holder(s) must be acknowledged. This content may not be used for commercial purposes. The content may be modified (including translations of the work), but the modified version may only be distributed under the same licence as the original. |
Please note: You can only grant third parties rights that you yourself own. Be sure to clarify the relevant image rights. If your publication or parts of it (e.g. in the case of cumulative dissertations) are published by a publishing house, the Creative Commons licence you choose must not infringe the rights granted to the publisher.
Please select the appropriate licence in the publication form. For Creative Commons licences, please always select version 4.0, unless your publication has been published under a different version.
We will be happy to advise you on the selection of the licence that best suits your publication.
Policy of the Goethe University repository
1. Objectives and content criteria for the Goethe University repository
- The repository http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/ provides all affiliates of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main with an organisational and technical infrastructure for electronic publication and long-term storage of scholarly publications of high relevance for research and teaching. Furthermore, the repository supports rapid, worldwide communication in the scholarly community and promotes open and technically as well as legally barrier-free access to specialised information in the sense of Open Access.
- In addition, the publication system serves as a subject-specific repository for publications from the Specialised Information Services maintained by the University Library J. C. Senckenberg (UB JCS) in Frankfurt am Main: African Studies, Comparative Literature, Biodiversity, Performing Arts, German Studies, Jewish Studies, Linguistics.
- The service's content is curated by the UB JCS Open Access Department. Technical support is provided by the UB JCS Department for Electronic Services. The publication of dissertations and postdoctoral theses is done in coordination with the UB JCS Doctoral Theses Department.
- The electronic documents receive citable persistent identifiers in the form of URN addresses, which ensure permanent access to the resources via the German National Library's (DNB) URN resolving service. Additionally, primary publications on the repository receive DOIs. Each DOI is registered with Crossref and can thus be added to international reference databases. Access is provided via national and international library catalogues, search engines, OAI service providers, and other reference tools. Long-term archiving of submitted dissertations, examination papers and other original documents is guaranteed.
- Operation and further development of the repository are integrated into national and international initiatives and projects such as the Open Archives Initiative (OAI), Dublin Core Metadata Initiative or the German Initiative for Network Information (DINI).
2. General legal conditions
- Authors grant the following rights of use to the operator of the repository:
- the right to electronic storage, especially in databases
- the right to convert for the purpose of long-term archiving or visualization, while preserving the content (the original archiving remains intact)
- and in the case of publication, the simple right of use for making publicly available in international data networks in accordance with §19a UrhG (German Copyright Act)
- the right to report and transfer to a long-term archiving body
- the right to make the metadata, in particular the abstract and table of contents, accessible and usable to anyone without restriction.
- Publications can be published under a Creative Commons license at the request of the authors. In this case, it is sufficient to submit a publication marked with an appropriate license notice. This does not release authors from the obligations formulated under 2.4. regarding the protection of third party rights.
- The operator commits itself to support the authors in their publication projects, to archive the documents and to keep them permanently available at reasonable expense. It guarantees an archiving period of at least 5 years for the documents submitted. The authors and editors are responsible for the content of the documents.
- The authors or editors of the publication are obliged to clarify any copyrights and usage rights of third parties that may be affected or to obtain their consent. If authors become aware of the existence or development of legal obstacles, they shall inform the UB JCS immediately. The UB JCS is not liable for damages resulting from the violation of copyrights and usage rights, provided that there is no demonstrable intentional or gross negligence.
- The authors' copyright is maintained. The publication on the repository does not preclude further publication of the documents in journals or monographs as well as on other servers. We encourage authors to reserve the right of self-archiving in institutional repositories when concluding publishing agreements and to self-archive their publications on Goethe University repository. In its Open Access Policy, Goethe University endorses Open Access publishing and encourages its members to make active use of their self-archiving rights.
- The metadata of the documents published on the publication server may be retrieved by anyone via the OAI interface, stored and made available to third parties. The metadata are subject to the CC-0 license.
- Once published, documents published will not be deleted from the server. Publications on the publication server are to be considered analogous to a print release for a print publication.
3. The electronic document
- For the purposes of this policy, the term "electronic document" refers to a document based on text and graphics, stored in digital form on a data carrier and distributed via computer networks. The publication of multimedia documents containing audio and video sequences is also possible.
- An electronic document to be published via the repository has to fulfil the following conditions:
- It is intended for distribution to the public.
- It is not a dynamic document. If changes are necessary, the modified electronic document will be stored as a new version.
4. Rules for the publication of electronic documents
- Researchers, students and other persons whose work is affiliated with Goethe University Frankfurt am Main may submit publications in an accepted file format to the publication server. Modification of the content of the documents is excluded. Any change to the content of document made thereafter is prohibited.
- The following categories of electronic documents are stored:
- Publications by affiliates of Goethe University with scholarly content such as journal articles (publisher's versions, peer-reviewed manuscript versions (Author Accepted Manuscript) and, on request, preprints), monographs, parts from monographs, public lectures, research reports, studies, publication series.
- Publications edited by affiliates of Goethe University, such as collective works, e-journals and conference proceedings.
- Publications and publication series of institutions and persons associated with Goethe University.
- Speeches and lectures significant to the history of Goethe University, such as rectorate addresses or inaugural lectures.
- documents whose publication is prescribed by examination regulations (dissertations and habilitations).
- theses written by students of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (e.g. diploma, master's, bachelor's and state examination theses).
- For the formal and subject specific cataloguing of the electronic documents nationally and internationally defined standards and interfaces such as Dublin Core Metadata Standard, the guidelines of the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) or the specifications of METADISS of the German National Library are used. Authors provide metadata by filling out an online submission form. Metadata are then reviewed, corrected and, if necessary, supplemented by the library. Dissertations and postdoctoral theses should be submitted with an abstract written by the author in at least one language. The documents are classified by assigning a subject group of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC).
- Documents published on the repository are generally made publicly accessible on the Internet if there are no legal obstacles to this.
5. Technical features of the repository
- The documents are provided with permanent and individual persistent identifiers in the form of URN addresses and, in the case of primary publications on the repository, DOIs, which allow immediate access to the documents.
- The preferred format for (textual) publications is currently PDF/A. For GU affiliates, instructions for generating PDF/A files are available here (German only). If a document cannot be submitted in the PDF/A format, submission in the PDF format is possible, as well. PDF files must not be password protected or prohibit copying.
- The electronic documents can be discovered in local, regional and national library catalogues, search engines and at OAI service providers (e.g. OAIster. Searching on the pages of the repository includes the bibliographic metadata as well as the full text of the documents.
- As a registered OAI data provider the repository fulfils the requirements of the OAI-PMH version 2.0.
6. Organisational regulations
- The content and technical infrastructure of Goethe University repository are operated by the University Library Johann Christian Senckenberg Frankfurt am Main (UB JCS).
- Publication on the repository is free of charge for affiliates of Goethe University and its associated institutions.
- The submission of electronic documents for dissemination via the repository is usually done via a submission form on the repository. In case of uncertainty, please consult the contact persons mentioned below beforehand.
- Additional work necessary for publication, such as the preparation of electronic documents or conversion into other formats, is supervised and carried out by the staff of the Frankfurt University Library.
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