Share your work

When a work is placed in an Academic Commons collection and made available without restriction, it is automatically incorporated into search services like Google Scholar. Researchers can discover and access your work.

Enhance scholarly communication

The Academic Commons can supplement scholarly communication channels by reaching more colleagues worldwide and by distributing information that is typically not included in the traditional publishing process, such as datasets or digitized primary source materials. (link to authors addendum info here)

Provide permanent access

Web pages are notoriously impermanent. The Academic Commons strives for permanence. Until withdrawn, most work placed in the Commons will have a unique, global identifier that can be use to cite and link directly to the resource. Best efforts will be made to migrate supported digital formats to new formats in response to technological change.

Support learning

The publicly available research materials in the Academic Commons can contribute to student research and classroom learning. Moreover, Willamette academic departments may create locally accessible collections of student theses and other materials of permanent interest to the department's faculty and majors.

Promote the university

As a digital home for Willamette University publications, scholarship, and historical documents, the Academic Commons shares the unique assets and accomplishments of our community with a wider audience. The Commons helps to tell the story of Willamette University.

Meet grant requirements

The Academic Commons can be used to meet the digital repository requirements of granting agencies and promote the wide dissemination of grant-funded research and outcomes.

Build community

The Commons is a public space designed for the benefit of the Willamette community and the wider community of scholarship. Through sharing -- and the voluntary use of Creative Commons licenses -- the Academic Commons can help you contribute to an active, participatory community of learning.

 

In the years ahead, the Academic Commons will provide more benefits through added functionality and integration with teaching and authoring tools.