About DigitalCommons@URI

DigitalCommons@URI is an institutional repository that showcases the diverse array of materials produced by the University of Rhode Island community. Its purpose is to capture, organize, disseminate, preserve and promote the cultural and scholarly record. Providing free and open access to URI’s intellectual and creative output supports the University’s core mission of education as a public good.

Members of the URI community are invited to contribute their digital content for preservation and worldwide accessibility through DigitalCommons@URI. Should you have any questions, please contact the URI Libraries staff at digitalcommons-group@uri.edu.

Click here to see the full DigitalCommons@URI Policies and Guidelines (PDF).

About Institutional Repositories

Institutional Repositories (IRs) are digital platforms for storing and sharing the scholarly output of a university, with an aim to preserve and provide access to that research.

IRs are an excellent vehicle for working papers or copies of published articles and conference papers. Presentations, senior theses, and other works not published elsewhere can also be published in the IR.

To learn more about Institutional Repositories, see the Digital Commons IR resources page.

Who can contribute materials to DigitalCommons@URI?

DigitalCommons@URI includes work created by individuals or groups affiliated with a URI department, program, research team, working group, collaborative project, conference, or other University-affiliated entity, including:

  • URI faculty, researchers, and staff
  • URI departments, schools, and colleges
  • Research centers
  • Undergraduate and graduate students

What kinds of materials can be contributed to DigitalCommons@URI?

DigitalCommons@URI preserves and makes publicly available scholarly, scientific, professional, and cultural works created within the URI community. For questions about specific content, contact digitalcommons-group@uri.edu. Some common types include:

  • Dissertations and theses
  • Articles (journal, manuscripts)
  • Books and book chapters
  • Conference documents (papers, proceedings, programs, posters)
  • Multimedia materials (video, audio, images)
  • Presentations
  • Grey literature (technical reports, research reports, and working papers)
  • Digitized primary research materials
  • Data sets and metadata
  • Yearbooks
  • Newspapers

Copyright/Permission Policy

The URI Libraries may be able to assist with specific questions about copyright and permissions, but the primary responsibility of ensuring copyright compliance falls to the contributor. All content posted in DigitalCommons@URI must comply with U.S. copyright law. Under the URI Open Access Policy, URI faculty may post the author manuscript version of any scholarly article published in March 2013 or later.

Access and Use

Users are encouraged to cite and link to digital content in DigitalCommons@URI and are free to do so without asking for permission. Depending on the source of the digitized work, licenses or other contractual terms may restrict further distribution or other uses. DigitalCommons@URI does not have authority to grant or deny permissions to use digital contents that are in the public domain or open access. When any permissible use is made of the materials, we request that DigitalCommons@URI be attributed as the source of the digital contents and that links to the item on DigitalCommons@URI be included where appropriate. If you have any questions about access and use, please do not hesitate to contact the DigitalCommons@URI staff at digitalcommons-group@uri.edu or (401) 874-5079.