Scholarly Communication Services - Repositories & Preprint Servers

In a library or research setting, repositories are collections of research, scholarly, or creative work that may include the following types of files:

• Articles: preprints, manuscripts, or final version of record
• Conference proceedings: minutes, papers
• Poster presentations
• Learning objects: slides, notes, handouts, etc.
• Images
• Multimedia: sound, recordings, video
• Research data

Repositories can focus on work done by members of an organization or institution (known as institutional repositories) or within a discipline (known as a disciplinary repository).  Scholars and creators submit their work to repositories to make it available to more people, or to preserve their work so it will be permanently available in one virtual location (and then provide links to it).  For works that are published or sponsored, some publishers or funders require them to be made publicly available known as public access or open access mandates; repositories can help scholars and creators fulfill such requirements.

Repositories are made visible on the internet through web crawlers and search engines. Their web presence is increased through being indexed by larger online repositories (e.g., Digital Public Library of America) so that work they contain be found and used by interested searchers.  

Related Research Guides

Directories of Repositories

Government Mandates (As of 2023)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) data sharing requirements policy takes effect for NIH grant applications, proposals for contracts, Intramural Research Projects, or other funding agreements received or done on or after January 25, 2023.  See their notices for official policies with specifications. 

Note: the following links focus on multidisciplinary and discipline-specific repositories that openly accept work.