I came across a .pdf that was inaccessible for my screen reader; how do I acquire an accessible copy?
Please contact myworks@swarthmore.edu with the title or URL of the inaccessible work. We'll respond as soon as possible with an accessible copy.

Frequently Asked Questions


How does Works align with Swarthmore College's mission and values?

"I truly believe that we are creating a community in which everyone - staff, faculty, students, alumni, and friends - has the potential to be a lifelong learner, and that we have much we can learn from each other."
- President Val Smith, discussing her vision for the future of the College

In expression of our desire to learn from each other, Works offers the scholarship of our community to the global community. It is our hope that its contents inspire others to undertake pursuits that are personally meaningful and to share their knowledge with others. It is our hope that its contents encourage the exchange of ideas and the creating of new knowledge. It is our hope to learn from others who do the same.

What types of materials are included in Works?

Though not all of them may be full text, the following are some examples of citations for works included in Works: articles published in journals, newspapers, and/or magazines; books; book chapters; reviews of books, films, and/or performances; conference proceedings; works exhibited or exhibits curated; papers, including working papers; performances; poster sessions; conference talks and presentations; published responses or comments; websites including blogs; and more.

Who can access the items included in Works?

All uploaded content can be accessed by anyone worldwide; if you're having difficulty downloading any full text works, you can contact us. Wondering who is reading these works? You can see downloads worldwide by referring to the readership map.

Why do some posts contain only a citation and not the full text?

In cases where publisher policies permit, the final published version of a work, also known as the version of record, will be made publicly available for download. This is known as "green" open access. Some citations may be accompanied by an external link to content freely available from the publisher. In cases where Works cannot archive or link out to the full text, each citation contains a "find in your library" open URL which will attempt to connect you to the full text of a work through your library subscriptions based on your IP address. Please note that for this to work remotely, you may have to log into a proxy server.

For further assistance, contact the interlibrary loan department at your local library.

What is the difference between a preprint, postprint, and publisher's version?

These are terms publishers use to differentiate between versions of the same work, depending on the stage of publication.

  • A pre-print, also known as the author's manuscript, is the version of the article that was originally submitted to a journal or book to be considered for publication. You may frequently find these versions in scholarly research networks such as arXiv, RePEc, and SSRN.
  • A post-print, also known as the accepted manuscript, is the version created after the peer review process. This version does not include layout formatting or copy editing revisions, but has been revised from the original manuscript. You may frequently find these versions in repositories such as PubMed Central.
  • The publisher's version, also known as the version of record, is what appears in the final publication. This version includes editorial work such as layout, copy editing, and pagination. Other versions of articles that may be considered the publisher's version include: online first publications or advance online publications.

For more information, refer to publisher-specific policies and definitions.

Any work posted on Works should be assumed to be the version of record unless otherwise stated in the comments section.

How is content added to Works?

Faculty CVs are reviewed annually and checked for missing citations that fall under Works' guidelines for inclusion. These citations are then standardized and formatted before being uploaded to Works. Journals in which our faculty publish most often are checked on a semimonthly basis for works that can be included.

Who can submit content to Works? How much of my previously-published work can I deposit in Works?

Works includes works created or authored by Swarthmore College faculty, researchers, and permanent staff. When known, undergraduate students and alums are recognized with their class years.

It is the Libraries' policy to only include works published while the author was at or affiliated with the College. However, other works may be considered for inclusion; please contact us with your questions.

How do I know if I have permission to deposit one of my published articles in Works?

Many publishing agreements will limit the reuse and redistribution of your published works. If you are not sure if you have retained any rights and cannot find your author agreement, contact us and we'll advise.

We encourage authors to retain their copyright to the fullest extent possible. There are many options for authors to retain copyright, including Creative Commons licensing or including an author addendum with your publisher's author agreement.

How do I revise or remove a submission?

Email us; all requests will be addressed as soon as possible.

I've already uploaded my publications to other sites; why should I include it here?

Sharing your work in a non-profit, collegial, global environment benefits you in a number of ways.

It gives you greater visibility, allowing you to reach a wider audience.

  • A dependable, centralized location means that peers and other researchers can more easily find and use your work - without needing to creating additional accounts or to take extra steps.
  • Works ties your inclusions to the full range of research conducted at Swarthmore, increasing the awareness of and public value of your works.
  • We’ve optimized our records of your publications for Google and other search engines, making them even easier to find.
  • When you make your works freely available to anyone with internet access, you offer information regardless of their ability to pay, further supporting the mission of the College.

Increased visibility leads to earlier and more frequent citations.

  • Research has begun to demonstrate that the more accessible a publication is, the more readership and citations it ultimately receives, even further increasing the visibility of your work.
  • Open access online articles have appreciably higher citation rates than traditionally published articles across a range of disciplines. (source)
  • For full text works included in Works, you’ll receive monthly download statistics and gain access to a personalized dashboard with readership information, showing the global impact of your research.
Can the Libraries help me if I don't have the resources to locate or digitize my publications?

Yes! If you cannot find your publications, please contact us with the fullest citation information that you have and we'll do our best to find it.

We can also assist with digitizing your works that you may only have a print copy of, including preparing an accessible version for visually-impaired readers.

How do I know how many people have are reading my works?

Download counts are tracked on each article's page. If you wish to track the downloads of your publications as a whole, you can create a free account to monitor this activity from your author dashboard.

If your works have been included in Works, then you will also receive a monthly readership report from Digital Commons via email.

Is it necessary to create an account?

Creating an account is not essential but will provide you with tools that may be useful, both as an author and a reader.

  • As an author, you'll have access to the author dashboard, where you can easily track and share downloads and other usage information for your works.
  • As a reader, you'll be able to follow certain authors and will be notified when new submissions are posted.
I came across a .pdf that was inaccessible for my screen reader; how do I acquire an accessible copy?

Please contact myworks@swarthmore.edu with the title or URL of the inaccessible work. We'll respond as soon as possible with an accessible copy.

Who can I contact to report problems and request assistance?

Email us for additional help.

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