Preparing Files for Contribution

Before You Submit a File...

1. You must log onto "Flinders Academic Commons" before you can submit an item.
   Sign in by clicking on the link on the bottom left of the home page http://dspace.flinders.edu.au.
2. Consider the file format:
   Some file types are more likely to be usable over the years than others are. A list of supported file format is maintained at http://dpace.flinders.edu.au, check the list before you submit. In the case of text documents, we prefer PDF to a proprietary format like MS Word. If you need a copy of Adobe Acrobat please contact us.
3. Verify your copyright:
   If the work has been published previously, check your copyright transfer form to be sure you have the right to post it. If it is a work of multiple authorship (whether published or not), ascertain that the other authors also approve contribution into the Flinders Academic Commons. We can help you with this process.
4. Gather citation information:
   If you indicate your work is previously published, you will be prompted to enter citation information as part of the submission process. You can use any citation format you wish, but be sure to include enough information that someone could locate the referenced version. For journal articles, include the journal title, volume and issue numbers, date, and paging. For book chapters, include authors' names, the book title, place of publication, publisher name, date, and pagination. Include a URL for items published on a Web site (such as a personal page or electronic journal).
5. Provide as much description of your work as possible.
   Three reasons for describing your work:
   • To aid in the retrieval process. Google Scholar will use your keywords as the search terms.
   • As a surrogate for the item (for instance, metadata harvesting for another system)
   • For use in later products for instance, a bibliography in a particular discipline.
6. Think about keywords:
   Subjects and keywords will help users locate your work. Keywords can be pulled from the work itself, or they can be concepts that describe what the work is about. Subjects and keywords are especially important for works that are non-textual, such as images or datasets. It's a good idea to use a standard list of terms if one is available for your discipline. Rebecca Vaughan has created one for the Humanities Research Centre for Cultural Heritage and Exchange.
7. Determine whether your material is one or several items.
   The atomic unit of content in the Flinders Academic Commons is an item . An item can be an article in a single file, or a single dataset consisting of several files, or the article accompanied by the supporting dataset. If you have questions about whether your materials should be one or several items, or even a collection, contact us.
8. Decide into which collection you will submit your work.
   You may not have permission to submit to all collections; if you are not sure if you can submit to a collection, contact the organisers of the collection.
9. If you need assistance:
   • Consult the collection's administrator
   • Send an email: katie.cavanagh@flinders.edu.au