Monthly Archives: June 2016

Why should I deposit my work with CORE?

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Depositing your work with a repository ensures that it is archived and attributed to you and makes it quickly and widely available to others.

Works deposited with CORE are automatically given a permanent identifier called a DOI. DOIs provide persistent, citable metadata for scholarly and creative works, including gray literature such as blog posts, syllabi, data sets, presentations, and video and audio files.

Since you can associate items you deposit with an MLA forum, CORE offers the added advantage of sharing your work with an immediate audience of scholars in your field.

What kinds of items can I deposit with CORE?

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The following items can be deposited with CORE: abstracts, articles, bibliographies, books, book chapters, catalogs, charts, codes or software, conference publications, course materials or learning objects, data sets, documentaries, dissertations, essays, fictional works, finding aids, images, interviews, maps, music, performances, photographs, presentations, reports, reviews, syllabi, technical reports, theses, translations, visual art.

What file types does CORE accept?

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CORE accepts the following file types:

  • Audio: .mp3, .ogg, .wav
  • Data: .csv, .ods, .sxc, .tsv, .xls, .xlsx
  • Image: .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .psd, .tiff
  • Mixed material or software: .gz, .rar, .tar, .zip
  • Text: .doc, .docx, .htm, .html, .odp, .odt, .pdf, .pps, .ppt, .pptx, .rdf, .rtf, .sxi, .sxw, .txt, .wpd, .xml
  • Video: .f4v, .flv, .mov, .mp4

Please note that if you are uploading a word-processed document, PDF files are preferred for reasons of cross-platform compatibility and security.

How do I make my work available for others to use on CORE?

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Works deposited in CORE are covered by the MLA Commons Terms of Service, which stipulate that members may not use your content without your specific consent or unless you share it under a Creative Commons license. 

If you are depositing an image, data set, or other item that you would like to make available to other scholars, we encourage you to grant such permission by way of a Creative Commons license. You have the option to attribute such a license to your work at the time of deposit.

How do I know if I can legally deposit an article I’ve publish elsewhere in CORE?

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Policies vary by publisher and journal. Look up the journal or publisher by name in the SHERPA-RoMEO database to find out its policies covering archiving—referred to on the Commons as depositing. For example, if your article was published in PMLA, you may deposit preprint (not yet peer-reviewed) versions of the article as well as postprint (peer-reviewed) articles. You may also publish the PDF file available from the publisher as long as you comply with certain conditions. If your article is published in French Studies, for instance, you may deposit a preprint version before it is accepted and a postprint version after a two-year embargo but not the publisher’s PDF file.

If you wish to deposit a book chapter or a monograph, please check your agreement with the publisher.

What is the difference between a group and a site?

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Whether it is best for you to use a group or a site to share information on MLA Commons depends on your communication goals. If you would like to communicate with colleagues who are interested in a certain field or professional issue, you may want to start or join a group. Groups facilitate interaction between group members, since members can participate in discussions, collaborate on docs, and share files. Participation in groups is limited to MLA members. You can read more about groups in our ‘Creating a Group’ guide.

While groups offer a great way to connect with members on topics of interest, sites are by default open to the public and allow you to engage with a community beyond MLA members. Sites can be a helpful platform for crafting a professional presence online, circulating information, reaching a broader audience for your scholarship, and posting longer reflections to both members and nonmembers. Sites are covered in more detail in this guide.

How can I join a group?

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There are three types of groups on the Commons: public groups, private groups, and hidden groups.

Public groups will appear in the directory of groups, and anyone can join by clicking Join Group on the group’s page. All content in public groups is visible, even to people who aren’t logged in to the site.

Private groups will also appear in the directory of groups, but membership may be restricted in different ways. To request to join a private group, click Request Membership on the group’s page. If the request is approved, you’ll be able to view the group’s content.

Hidden groups won’t appear in the directory of groups, and their content is viewable only by their members. New members must be invited to join by existing group members.

How do I create a group?

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After you’ve logged in to the Commons, click on the Groups tab; then, select the Create a Group button next to the group directory. Enter a group name and group description. Then, click Create Group and Continue. This will lead you to steps where you can choose whether to enable discussion boards; select whether your group will be public, private, or hidden; determine the member roles in your group; create a group avatar; and invite members to join your group.

Creating a group is covered in more detail in this guide.

How can I change my group e-mail notifications?

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When you join a group, you automatically receive e-mail notifications for all group activity. If you’d like to change your notification settings for one of your groups, please go to the home page of that group and look for E-mail Options in the left navigation panel. On the next page, select your preferred option:  No E-mail, Weekly Summary E-mail, Daily Digest E-mail, New Topics E-mail, All E-mail. Then, select Save Settings.

These are covered in more detail in this guide.