Shareyourpaper.org for Libraries out now.

Today, for free, in just 30 minutes, you can demo and set up the simplest way to legally self-archive a paper — for any repository, at any library — in order to get more deposits and save you time.

Read on to find out how we’ve designed Shareyourpaper.org for Libraries drag-and-drop deposit workflow in partnership with Montana State, which now powers their repository, and serves authors everywhere at Shareyourpaper.org.

Shareyourpaper.org makes self-archiving simple for authors and scalable for libraries, strengthening self-archiving as an equitable route to Open Access. What we’ve built transforms the deposit process from an often complicated, time-consuming process into one that’s possible in a few clicks, for any repository, without the need for complex integrations.

We do that by automating deposit workflow — metadata entry, permissions, and version checking — to leave only uploading the paper itself through a beautiful interface. This lowers the bar to deposit and frees up the library’s time and expertise to focus on outreach.

We’ve been told more than a few times that all of this sounds too good to be true. So, below, we’ll walk you through how it works. But, don’t take our word for it. On the demo and set-up page, you can test yourself without risking accidentally depositing papers and see what you think we might still need to improve.

How we simplify following self-archiving policies

Shareyourpaper.org automatically works out what version can be uploaded, checks if it actually is, and complies with other terms. Authors don’t need to spend time finding and making sense of publisher policies, and libraries can trust that they receive the allowed version. There are two key parts to this:

1. Permissions Checking. We built a new database of every policy that affects self-archiving and a system that applies them to individual papers, drawing on years of experience doing manual permission checking. This means Shareyourpaper.org can unravel all the information needed to self-archive, including what version to share, when embargos end, and complete deposit statements. Doing this requires taking into account everything from publisher self-archiving policies (including their exceptions) and institutional open access policies, to individual article licensing and differences in copyright law. We’ve manually curated the database to cover over 85% of papers, and automatically monitor thousands of policies daily in order to ensure that information never goes out of date. Our system then applies these policies to papers using data from Crossref, Microsoft Academic, Unpaywall, and the Shareyourpaper.org sign-up process. There’s more to it, which you can learn while getting more tools for permissions checking at shareyourpaper.org/permissions.

2. Paper Checking. When a paper is uploaded, we analyze if it’s a publisher PDF or a Postprint. We analyze hundreds of different signals in the file name, metadata, formatting, and contents. As a simple example, if we’re given a Microsoft Word file, and we can find the authors’ names and the paper title in it, we can be fairly sure that it’s the correct author-accepted manuscript. We also look for price tags, copyright holders, licenses, key dates, citation information, download statements, line spacing, figure placement, phone numbers, and more. Together, these help us understand if what’s being deposited is the correct paper and the correct version. We’ve validated the system against hundreds of files by hand, and hundreds of thousands of files automatically. Our sincere thanks go out to Andre Sartori at the University of Cambridge for working with us to build this system.

How we get you more high-quality deposits

We get you more deposits by making it easy, quick, and rewarding. That means asking authors only for what they can uniquely provide (usually the file), providing instant satisfaction from that work, and give them a simplified idea of the long-term benefits. While this flips traditional archiving workflows around, after years of helping authors to deposit their work, and hours spent watching them use the tool, we think it’s the only way to meet their expectations of depositing in just a few clicks. Meeting, and even exceeding that expectation, means that it’s much easier for librarians and faculty champions to build a culture of self-archiving on campus.

Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what depositors have said to us…

“That is super slick!”
“I have uploaded 2 PDFs so far. My experience was excellent: Clear, easy, and quick!”
“It was remarkably easy and quick to use.”

To ensure that speed doesn’t come at the expense of quality, we automatically use data from Crossref, our permissions system, and our file checking system to create rich records. They often come complete with abstracts, ORCIDs, version information, links to the final version, and all the citation information you’d hope for. We hope this is a great jumping off point for additions that you might like to make as you ingest.

How we integrate with your repository and website

We want Shareyourpaper.org to deepen your library's relationship with patrons and to work with your existing IR (or, the one you’re about to migrate to).

Using our self-setup system, you can adjust the workflow to your liking, for example, choosing if you want to enable one-click dark deposits, or adding links to your terms and conditions. Then, you can get the tool anywhere on your website by copy and pasting a line of code, just like embedding a Youtube video in a Libguide. The tool will then magically blend in with your brand, and we’ll handle system updates and hosting without you needing to worry.

To integrate with your repository, you’ve got a few choices designed for repositories of different sizes. For small (but mighty) repositories, we can email you the files and metadata for every deposit and, when you get a minute, you can upload each record manually. If you’re processing a few more deposits, then we can provide you everything as a CSV for bulk upload. For larger institutions, with a bit of technical support, you can automatically ingest deposits through an OAI-PMH feed or our simple API. Whichever way you choose, deposits have already been checked and safely stored in Zenodo to give authors an accessible link, so that you can do it at your own pace without keeping anyone waiting. That also means that, even if you don’t have a repository, you can still use Shareyourpaper.org to help authors deposit without setting up a repository.

How to all works together

When we’re given a DOI, we find the paper’s relevant metadata, check if it’s Open Access, and see what can be legally shared, and how to do so. Depending on what we find, we’ll show different routes to archive. That means if an author-accepted manuscript was allowed, we show simple instructions for how to archive it. If the paper is already Open Access, and you still want it in your IR, then authors can do that. After the file is uploaded, we check it, discover it can’t be uploaded, and nudge the depositor in the right direction. When they get back on track, we give them a link to their deposit in Zenodo, complete with all the metadata. Behind the scenes, the library will get an email with the file and this information notifying them of the deposit. It can then ingest the record into its repository as it wishes. Note that, to deposit, you don’t need to set up an account, so anyone can do the deposit as long as they have the correct file.

How Shareyourpaper.org plans to be sustainable
Everything you’ve read about so far is community-owned, open source, and free. We’ve committed to providing these tools forever, so nothing stands in the way of making more papers Open Access. However, sustaining and supercharging services costs money. So, libraries who are saving time and money using our tools can reinvest some of those saving back into the tools. In return, you’ll get extra features and services to make self-archiving easier to manage and more valuable for your institution's visibility. This means features like direct deposit into your repository. We hope that you'll try Shareyourpaper.org and, if it benefits your repository, you'll join other leaders who are investing in our work and get the full benefits of doing so.