Frequently Asked Questions


What is CrossWorks and what is its role at Holy Cross?

CrossWorks is the College’s institutional repository (IR). It is used to collect, preserve and provide access to scholarly and creative works contributed by community members, as well as materials from the College Archives and Special Collections. Students, faculty, and staff can be assured that their contributions to CrossWorks will be preserved and remain available which is helpful when placing links to work on resumes, websites, etc. Contributions are also easily located with Google searches, and authors receive usage statistics for their work.

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What is an Institutional Repository?

An institutional repository (IR) brings together scholarly and creative works, as well as other materials in digital format with the aim to preserve and provide open access through a single portal. CrossWorks is the IR of the College of the Holy Cross.

To learn more about institutional repositories, please visit the Digital Commons IR research page.

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What exactly does "Open Access" mean and how does it apply to works in CrossWorks?

The Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) defines Open Access as follows: "By open access, we mean its immediate, free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search or link to the full text of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software or use them for any other lawful purpose…" This definition is taken from the BOAI website: http://www.soros.org/openaccess/read

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Open Access is intended to facilitate and promote the advancement of research by unlocking access to scholarly publications. An article published in an Open Access journal can be deposited and made freely available in CrossWorks, without asking the publisher for permission. A directory of Open Access journals currently in publication can be browsed at http://www.doaj.org/. Holy Cross authors who deposit material for which they still own full copyright, may choose to offer their work under traditional copyright terms, Open Access terms, or they may select a Creative Commons License.

It is important not to confuse "Open Access" with "openly available on the Web." The primary difference is that Open Access typically permits extensive copying and redistribution that would not normally be permitted under Copyright law. For instance, New York Times (NYT) articles may be freely available to read by anyone, but they are still subject to traditional copyright limitations, and may not be reposted in their entirety on another Web site without prior permission from the NYT.

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What are the benefits of contributing my work to CrossWorks?

Works in CrossWorks are much more visible than those only available through a journal or library subscription. On a practical level, CrossWorks is designed to work with search engines like Google, which increases the discoverability of publications. Research demonstrates that the more accessible a publication is, the more readership and citations it ultimately receives. Statistics for each work provide quantifiable evidence of this increased visibility.

For student works or those previously unpublished, CrossWorks provides a convenient publishing outlet. Each work is assigned a unique URL, which can be listed on a curriculum vitae, resumes, applications, personal Web sites, etc.

For more information see: Why Publish in CrossWorks?

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How can I contribute my work to CrossWorks?

During this pilot phase please contact the CrossWorks Coordinator.

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What materials are eligible for deposit?

Institutional repositories, such as CrossWorks, are an excellent vehicle for working papers or copies of published articles and conference papers. Presentations, senior theses, and other unpublished works can also be deposited in CrossWorks.

Examples of possible content are:

  • Working papers, conference materials, and technical reports
  • Published articles when copyright and/or license allow
  • Honors projects
  • Faculty-student collaborative projects
  • Journals published by the Holy Cross community
  • Faculty course-related output primarily of scholarly interest
  • Organizational annual reports and newsletters
  • Strategic college documents
  • Data sets, image galleries, multi-media projects

How do I deposit my Honors Thesis?

Contact the College Honors Program Director, Professor .

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Who owns the copyright for works in CrossWorks?

Authors retain copyright ownership for works submitted to CrossWorks. Unless otherwise indicated, the author of a work is the copyright owner and reserves all rights granted under US Copyright Law. Please remember that all creative or scholarly works are protected by copyright law regardless of whether or not copyright notice appears on the work.

Some exceptions: 1) Authors may choose to modify their rights using a Creative Commons License which may permit uses beyond typical Fair Use scenarios, 2) Digitized material from the Library’s physical collections are in the public domain, 3) Previously published articles may have been published under Open Access terms which allows for further re-distribution.

Please contact the CrossWorks Coordinator with any further questions regarding the copyright status of materials in CrossWorks.

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How can I retain my rights as an author?

As the author of a work you are the copyright holder unless or until you transfer the copyright to someone else in a signed agreement. Normally, the copyright holder possesses the exclusive rights of reproduction, distribution, public performance, public display, and modification of the original work. An author who has transferred copyright (i.e. to a journal or monograph publisher) without retaining these rights must ask permission to deposit into an institutional repository unless the use is one of the statutory exemptions (e.g., Fair Use) in copyright law.

Publishers' agreements (often titled "Copyright Transfer Agreement") have traditionally been used to transfer copyright or key use rights from author to publisher. They are written by publishers and may capture more of your rights than are necessary to publish the work. As an author, you may be able to retain more of your rights when entering into these agreements.

Ensuring that your rights are balanced and clearly stated is your responsibility. One way to negotiate in your favor is to include an author addendum with the agreement. SPARC – Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition Resources for Authors provides information and tools to help authors create these sorts of amendments.

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How much of my previously-published work can I deposit in CrossWorks?

Any articles or creative works that you completed while at Holy Cross are eligible, depending on the publisher’s policies.

For previously published works:

  • Journal Articles: If you already know that the journal is published expressly as an Open Access journal, you may freely deposit the publisher’s version. Otherwise, the permission to deposit your work depends on the publisher's agreement with the author. Permissions for many publishers can be found by searching your journal’s name at SHERPA RoMEO. You will find that many publishers will allow you to deposit a "preprint" or "postprint" version of the article, but not the publisher’s version. In these situations, if you have the postprint and feel comfortable making it available, then you are encouraged to submit it to CrossWorks.
  • Monographs: Please consult the original agreement you signed with the publisher for your work. If you no longer have the agreement, contact the publisher for permission.

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Who can access the items included in CrossWorks?

In most cases the uploaded content in CrossWorks is available to any person with access to the Internet. However, when requested by individual authors or required by publisher copyright agreements, some documents may be embargoed (not accessible) for a period of time or limited to members of the Holy Cross community. A citation to the work will always be visible in CrossWorks.

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How do I cite items in CrossWorks?

In general, CrossWorks may be treated as if it were a Library database or a Web site, in whatever citation style you prefer. See our Citation LibGuides for a few examples. A recommended citation is provided for each item.

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How do I know how many people have downloaded my papers?

CrossWorks automatically sends out monthly download reports to individual authors. These reports will provide basic usage information.

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I need help! Who do I contact?

The CrossWorks Coordinator is available to answer questions, as well as work with you in identifying content for submission.

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