Tool of the Week: Health Sciences Research Commons

Do you want to highlight your research and make it more visible to the research community? Wondering how to do so without giving up your rights to publish it later on, but still share your work? Would you like to be able to have a place to preserve your research as part of the GWU community? The answer is here - Health Sciences Research Commons!

What is Health Sciences Research Commons?
It's a new institutional repository that has been set up for you and is administered by the Himmelfarb Library. The research commons is meant to server as a permanent archive where you can deposit copies of your research, share the results with others, yet still retain your rights to use to publish or use your research as you see fit. What's more, your work becomes part of a permanent knowledge base of other research being conducted here at the university. The repository is also open for others in the research community at large to see your work. The Health Sciences Research Commons is hosted as part of ALADIN Research Commons, which is administered by the Washington Research Libraries Consortium (WRLC). Other universities, such as Georgetown University and American University, also have space on the depository and are posting files to it.

How does this benefit you?
Your work is published and made available sooner, and to a broad audience. You retain your rights and can specify what others can do with your research via a Creative Commons license. Finally, you can publish your research in other publications without having to worry about copyright restrictions - again, because you retain the rights.

How difficult is it to deposit items?
It's easy! Himmelfarb Library staff will do the work for you. All you need to do is submit your work to use and we'll take care of posting the content for you.

For more information on the Health Sciences Research Commons please visit the website or contact Leah Pellegrino (mlblcp@gwumc.edu)