Frequently Asked Questions


What is the University of Richmond Scholarship Repository?

The University of Richmond’s Scholarship Repository brings together and provides open access to the intellectual content of its faculty, students and many centers and programs. The repository includes a broad spectrum of materials and formats, including written scholarship by faculty and students.

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What type of content is accepted in the repository?

The repository includes electronic PDFs, in addition to video, audio, photographs, images and other materials. If you have a question about your own content and if it is a good fit for our repository, please contact for University Libraries - Crista Lembeck, Digital Asset Management & Preservation Administrator at: or Law Library – Molly Lentz-Meyer, Digital and Archival Collections Librarian, .

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Who can submit materials?

Any faculty or staff member affiliated with the University of Richmond may submit scholarly content. Programs, centers, and students should consult with the repository administrator to see how well their material may fit into the repository’s scope.

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How do I submit content to the University of Richmond Scholarship Repository?

To add content to the repository, please email or directly to University Libraries - Crista LaPrade, Digital Asset Management & Preservation Administrator, or Law Library – Molly Lentz-Meyer, Digital and Archival Collections Librarian, .

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How do I revise a submission?

To revise a submitted article, paper, abstract, or make other changes, contact the repository administrators University Libraries - Crista LaPrade, Digital Asset Management & Preservation Administrator , or Law Library – Molly Lentz-Meyer, Digital and Archival Collections Librarian, . Please contact Lucretia or Molly as well, if you wish to remove a deposited item.

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Whom should I contact if I have a question about a specific item, collection, resource, etc.?

There are two options. If you have questions about any collection or item from the School of Law collection, contact Molly Lentz-Meyer, Digital and Archival Collections Librarian, . If you have questions about any other collections (Arts & Sciences, School of Leadership Studies, Robins School of Business, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, Boatwright Memorial Library, etc.), contact Crista LaPrade, Digital Asset Management & Preservation Administrator .

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Copyright Guidelines for Authors

Authors must either hold the copyright in the work, have reserved rights to publicly post the work in an institutional repository, or have specific permission from the publisher to post the work for a work to be included in the University of Richmond Scholarship Repository. Library staff will seek permissions on behalf of faculty and staff members.

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

Most publishers allow a specific version of an author's article or book chapter to be posted in a research repository. This version can be the preprint, postprint or publisher's version. A definition for each version is provided below.

  • Preprint: Author's version of a manuscript, before peer review.
  • Postprint: Final author-edited version after peer review submitted to the publisher. Also known as the "author's accepted version."
  • Publisher's version: Final "published" version (peer reviewed) which includes the publisher's markup and formatting.

Note that submitting a postprint or "author's accepted version" (green open access) is a legitimate way to share your work in an open access repository. With "green open access" authors publish in any journal and then self-archive a version of the article for gratis public use in an online repository.

For more information on retaining author's rights for repository postings, see the Scholarly Communications Guide.

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How can I find out what version I can post for a particular journal article or book chapter?

Use the Sherpa/Romeo database, maintained by the University of Nottingham in the U.K. to find out what version is allowed for a particular journal publication. If the journal is not listed or you have an inquiry about a book chapter, please contact for University Libraries - Crista Lembeck, Digital Asset Management & Preservation Administrator, or Sam Cabo, Digital Resources Librarian, William Taylor Muse Law Library at .

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