Click on one of the following titles to directly access that section.
How large can a file be to be uploaded to Prism?
10 GB. This is not uncommon for web-based uploads. The larger the file, the more likely a timeout will occur. We recommend that any CSV or TSV files to be compressed before uploading. Please note that Prism can accept large files, but larger datasets must be uploaded as zip files. Submit your request for a file size larger than 10GB by contacting prism@northwestern.edu.
If your dataset is immensely large, you may consider these resources:
Are there limits to how much I can deposit into Prism?
At present, no. You may deposit as many files as you need to.
How can I get file sizes larger than 10GB into Prism?
Submit your request by contacting prism@northwestern.edu.
Can I create a record for my article/project/resource without uploading an actual file?
Yes, you can create a metadata-only record in Prism. See our guide Upload Metadata Only Record.
I’ve uploaded my documents in other platforms. Does Prism sync with other platforms so that I don’t have to duplicate my efforts?
Currently Prism does not sync information from proprietary platforms.
Can I upload material from when I was working for another institution?
Yes, if you have the permission.
I tried to delete something that I accidentally uploaded to Prism, but I can’t delete it. How do I go about removing it from the repository?
Please contact us at prism@northwestern.edu and we will do that for you.
Can I add my thesis or dissertation to the repository?
Theses and dissertations are welcome in Prism, but you must first determine whether you hold the rights to deposit such documents, just as you must with any other publication you plan to deposit. Contact your Graduate School office to find out what your rights are as an author of a thesis or dissertation.
Who is responsible for entering metadata?
Generally, it is the responsibility of the depositor to enter metadata. However, we can provide support for entering metadata and uploading items. See our guide on Metadata in Prism or Edit Metadata of Record. Please contact prism@northwestern.edu with any questions.
How do I know which keywords to use?
Keywords are used to help searchers find your content in Prism. Consider what terms you might use to search for your content. You must have at least one keyword associated with your item in Prism. You can edit the keyword field after upload, so if you think of more keywords you can add them at a later date. See our guide on Metadata in Prism or Edit Metadata of Record.
How do I acknowledge people who helped me in writing or preparing my scholarly work?
You can use the "Additional Description" field with the type "Acknowledgements" to enter any acknowledgments. Or you can use the "Contributor" metadata fields to highlight any person(s) or organization(s) who contributed to the work. See our guide on Metadata in Prism or Edit Metadata of Record.
My article is available in PubMed Central (PMC) or on a publisher's website. How do I provide a link to those websites from the article's Prism record?
In order to provide a link to PMC or the publisher’s website (or other location), use the metadata fields under the "Related works" section. These fields are available when you are uploading or editing a record. Keep in mind that access to the article at the publisher's website may be restricted to subscribers or subscribing libraries. See our guide on Metadata in Prism or Edit Metadata of Record.
How can I edit the visibility of a current record?
See our guide on Edit Visibility of a Record.
When does the visibility go into effect?
The selected visibility option will go into effect once the record is published. If the record (the metadata and/or the associated files) has been published as public, any files associated with it can be viewed by anyone who finds them online. NOTE that even restricted metadata is made publicly available on DataCite Commons as a requirement for assigning a DOI to a record. For more detailed information see Visibility in Prism or Edit Visibility of a Record.
When can you change the visibility of a record?
The person making the deposit can change the visibility of the record at any time, regardless of the record status as a draft or published. In addition, any system administrator, any person you give a link to with edit privileges, and if you submit your record to a community, any community administrator, can edit the record or change the visibility of the record. See our guide to Edit Visibility of a Record.
How does visibility impact student-submitted work?
Students submitting their work (such as a thesis, dissertation, or course-related projects) to Prism waive any privacy rights granted by FERPA or privacy rights granted by any other law, policy, or regulation.
How do I delete an item that I've uploaded to Prism?
You are not able to delete an item that you've uploaded. As an institutional repository, Prism is meant to preserve items for the long term, which adds complexity to issues around users deleting files. If you have an item that you'd like to remove from Prism, please edit the visibility to private. If you feel you must have the item deleted, please contact prism@northwestern.edu to discuss the issue. For more detailed information see Visibility in Prism or Edit Visibility of a Record.
Who can see an item that has been made private in Prism?
The depositor and Prism administrators can see items that the depositor has made private in Prism. The item will not be viewable in the Prism search or catalog. The item will not be viewable to any viewers (other than the depositor and Prism administrators). For more detailed information see Visibility in Prism or Edit Visibility of a Record.
I want to share my collection and grant access permission to another user, but that user’s name does not appear in my search. What can I do?
For a user’s name to appear in the drop-down menu, that person must have a confirmed profile Prism. When the user logs in to Prism for the first time, a profile is automatically created and they must confirmed their account by clicking on "Confirm my account" in the Welcome email. (Click here to learn how to confirm Prism account.) Once they have done so, their name will then appear in the drop-down menu when you search for that person. You can also email a list of users (names and Northwestern e-mail addresses) to prism@northwestern.edu and we will create the profiles.
What happens to my files in Prism after I leave Northwestern University?
The files remain in Prism and continue to be discoverable, accessible, and citable, since Prism is a preservation as well as access service. If you have any questions or concerns about your files after you have left Northwestern University, please contact prism@northwestern.edu.
Can I deposit files and metadata in Prism even if I am not the creator?
Mediated deposits are permitted, meaning the depositor does not have to be the creator in order to deposit in Prism. However, the depositor must have the permission of the copyright owner (whether that is a faculty member or the publisher) in order to make the deposit.
How do I get proxy access from a faculty member to edit or add metadata to their records, or upload more documents with their permission?
The faculty member will need to log into Prism, use the dropdown menu next to their name and select My dashboard. From their dashboard, they should click on the "View" button for the record they wish to share. From the record's page, they should click on the "Share" button and select "Can Edit" and "Get a Link". This link can be used by anyone with the link to edit the record.
How can different versions be accessed?
Search results will by default only display the latest published version of a record. However, toggling the flip switch in the versions facet enables users to view and search all versions.
The landing page for previous versions of a record clearly displays that a newer version exists, with a link to it.
In the right-hand column there is a link to view all published versions.
How does versioning affect visibility?
Each version of a record has its own visibility options for metadata and files. For example, the visibility of one version can be restricted while the visibility of another version is public. Likewise, embargo dates also apply to specific versions. (Click here to learn more about visibility.)
When does the visibility go into effect?
The selected visibility option will go into effect once the record is published. If the record (the metadata and/or the associated files) has been published as public, any files associated with it can be viewed by anyone who finds them online. NOTE that even restricted metadata is made publicly available on DataCite Commons as a requirement for assigning a DOI to a record. For more detailed information see Visibility in Prism or Edit Visibility of a Record.
Does a record retain one DOI despite the presence of different versions?
Each version of a single record receives its own unique DOI. Therefore the visibility of each version must be carefully considered. Restricting a version of the full record, including metadata and files, will cause users to reach a page saying that version of the record cannot be found. To encourage users to use a new version, consider restricting access to previous files while leaving the metadata publicly visible.
When should versioning be used instead of creating a brand new record?
When dealing with the same project, dataset, etc., versioning offers a dynamic and manageable method for updating progress and preserving changes. One record housing different versions makes toggling back and forth between past and current metadata and/or files more convenient than moving between separate records. Creating a brand new record is better suited for projects, datasets, etc., that are independent from prior records and remain more static in nature. If there is no benefit to connecting a new upload to a previous record’s stages and progress, opt for creating a brand new record.
Use Sherpa/Romeo to check if the journal publisher allows for uploading to an institutional repository, and if so, which version of the article can be uploaded, the required visibility-level, if an embargo must be used, and the type of license (also known as rights statement) that must be applied.
Typically, scholarly publishers allow researchers to upload the version of the article before it was published (also known as the pre-print) or the version of the article after it was submitted and peer-reviewed (also known as the post-print).
Consult Sherpa/Romeo to look up the journal title or publisher and see what they allow for deposits into institutional repositories. For questions please contact prism@northwestern.edu
Yes, copyright owners retain copyright over their materials.
When uploading content into Prism, you are asked to agree to the Prism Distribution Agreement, which grants Northwestern University a non-exclusive license to distribute the material. Copyright owners retain copyright over materials uploaded to Prism, and they can continue to distributed the material through other mechanisms. Please see the Prism Distribution Agreement for more information.
All material uploaded to Prism should be made available with a rights statement, this is typically a Creative Commons license (or other license, if appropriate); the license tells others how your material can be used. Consider using this resource to help you choose a license. See the Appendix: License Type to view licenses that are available in Prism.
Why should I choose a Rights Statement/License for items in Prism?
If you do not choose a license, users of the repository may still be able to use your submission (including the metadata and abstract) under the protection of the Fair Use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. Learn more about Fair Use here: https://libguides.northwestern.edu/copyrightbasics/fairuse
What are Creative Commons Licenses?
Creative Commons licenses tells others how your content can be used. Prism offers the full suite of Creative Commons License. Creative Common licenses are appropriate for all types of content you want to share publicly, except software and hardware. There are six different Creative Common licenses. Two of the licenses prohibit the sharing of adaptations (BY-ND, BY-NC-ND); three prohibit commercial uses (BY-NC, BY-NC-ND, BY-NC-SA), and two require adaptations be licensed under the same license (BY-SA, BY-NC-SA).
For more information regarding Creative Commons Licenses, please see:
How do I choose a Creative Commons (CC) License?
Copyright holders should choose their preferred creative commons license. The person or entity holding the copyright for unpublished materials is often the author; for published materials most authors have transferred their copyright to journal or book publishers. Use Sherpa/Romeo to check if the journal publisher allows for uploading to an institutional repository, and if so, which version of the article can be uploaded, the required visibility-level, if an embargo must be used, and the type of license (also known as rights statement) that must be applied.
CC Australia has developed a flowchart and CC United States has developed a website to help people decide which CC license is appropriate.
For more information regarding Creative Commons Licenses, please see:
What else should I know about Creative Commons (CC) Licenses?
Once you apply a Creative Commons license to your material, anyone who receives it may rely on that license for as long as the material is protected by copyright and similar rights, even if you later stop distributing it. Remember the license may not be revoked.
For more information regarding Creative Commons Licenses, please see:
How do I find out if there is an embargo period on my document from the publisher?
An embargo is a period of time that is set by a publisher before content becomes open access. During the embargo period the content is restricted to subscribers of the journal.
Many publishers have different embargo periods for different titles, so be sure to check the embargo period for each article you wish to deposit. You may deposit an embargoed item in Prism, using the Embargo feature under "Visibility". See more information in our guide on Edit Visibility of a Record.
I checked my copyright policy information on SherpaRomeo. Is there anything more I need to do?
While SherpaRomeo is a great resource, it may not completely cover the intricacies of all publishers' copyright policies. You can use SherpaRomeo as a starting point, but take the extra step of finding and reading the copyright policies on your publisher's website or by contacting them directly.
Is there guidance or best practice on permissions for photos uploaded to Prism?
We encourage you to get written permission from everyone in the photo. Once uploaded, you should indicate that permission was granted, by providing text in the Description field, such as: “posted with permission”. You should also keep the written permission.
I have published an article in a journal that does not allow me to upload any version of the article to an institutional repository. Should I write the publisher to ask if it can be allowed after the fact? What is the exact process for this?
If you have given the publisher exclusive rights to all versions of the article, they may indeed prohibit your posting it elsewhere. However, publishers do sometimes change their policies due to public demand, so it may be worthwhile to contact them and make a case for open access. We may be able to help you find the right people to contact about this issue.
How do you know if a conference allows a poster or paper to be uploaded to Prism? What if the proceedings are published elsewhere? Can we assume the poster’s copyright is retained by the author? What about if the abstract is published in a journal?
The poster’s copyright is retained by the author but you can contact the conference organizers to find out if you have the permission to post your poster or paper in an institutional repository.