How to deposit?

Should I register as a user to view documents?

No. Anyone with Internet access can query the repository without having to register. Registration is required when you want to submit a document.

How do I register as a new user?

  • Enter the Kérwá
  • In Kérwá Access menu, select the Register option.
  • Enter an email address and press the Register button.
  • A link will be sent to your email, complete the information requested.
  • Press Detailed record.

Instructions to deposit

Kérwá is an auto-deposit repository; that means the authors or academic and research units are the ones who submit their works. To submit in the Kérwá each user must:

  • Login to the submission page.
  • If you enter for the first time, it will enter to Register as a new user.
  • Follow the instructions on the form and fill in the required fields: start sending, assign collection, include the initial data and metadata, attach the file, verify the data, choose the option to grant Creative Commons license (optional), approve the license UCR, and submit it.
  • In case of not completing the submission, it will be saved incomplete and you can log in later to complete it.

Who can deposit?

Can deposit documents:

  • Authors of academic, teaching and research works carried out in the institution (professors, students, administrative staff), collaborators carried out under an agreement or project, people hired by the University for professional services, retired teachers and researchers.
  • UCR personnel designated by authors or by the unit direction to make the deposit of documents.

Persons wishing to make a deposit must be registered in the repository with an username and password.

What can be deposited?

  • Articles (final version, pre-prints and post-prints).
  • Unpublished papers (essays or other works that have not been published).
  • Final graduation works.
  • Teaching materials (e.g. presentations, classroom notes, games, exercises).
  • Research reports.
  • Pictures, plans, drawings and three-dimensional compositions.
  • Multimedia (joint use of different media such as images, text, and audio).
  • Books and book chapters.
  • Sets of data accompanying research (Open data).
  • Musical scores.
  • Presentations and lectures.

Considerations before depositing

Document Types:

Published articles: the one who deposits must confirm the requirements of copyright by the journal or publisher, in order to determine which version or versions of the document can be open access, since some publications have restrictions and allow access only some versions of the documents:

  • Final PDF: final published version of the article.
  • Pre-print: draft version, before undergoing peer review.
  • Post-print: draft version, made after peer review.

There is a possibility that the work cannot be public because publisher copyright policies. In addition, there are files with embargo periods (open access after a certain period) set by the publisher and other distribution conditions. Therefore the authors are encouraged to always keep at least the preprint version and the final version of each article.

In websites like Sherpa Romeo y Dulcinea editorial and deposit policies of hundreds of magazines and publishers worldwide are recorded, so they are available to corroborate the version of the document to be deposited.

Books or book chapters: the depositor must verify that the cached version is permitted by the publisher.

Considerations before depositing unpublished documents:

  • Industrial property: respect the will of the author when the document content is related to industrial property issues (information likely to be protected by trademarks, patents, trade secrets, among others).
  • Information not disclosed or in process: observe an embargo period that allows the publications of the work before it is released in the repository.
  • Sensitive information: safeguard the presence of sensitive information such as aspects of the private life of a person (as identity, sexual orientation, religious and political beliefs).
  • Agreements and confidentiality clauses: when a document was produced within the framework of an agreement or confidentiality clauses, these must be respected by the standards of disclosure and use of works.
  • Papers with authors from different institutions: consult full terms of cooperation because sometimes these works are made under agreements containing confidentiality clauses and use of the resulting information.

Documents generated by students:

  • A student can place his TFG (Final Graduation Work), TCU (College Community Service) report or other work.
  • Documents made in a class or academic activity must be accompanied by a written recommendation of the teacher in charge, which can be sent by email to the address kerwa@ucr.ac.cr
  • If student work is submitted by the academic unit, it must be authorized by the student.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are Creative Commons licenses?

These are legal tools that seek to restore the balance between the rights of authors, cultural industries and public access to culture through the express assignment of some rights in the works. Thus, the quantity and quality of works that can be copied, shared, derived or remixed is increased. The works licensed under Creative Commons (CC) are protected by national copyright laws. This means that, if someone violates the terms of the license of a work, the sanctions defined by the Ley de Derechos de Autor y Derechos Conexos and other related and consistent rules should be applied. Taken from: Creative Commons. Licenses to protect, share, mix and legally reuse information. Document of the Research Office. There are six types of licensing that provide greater or lesser restriction on the use of information, of which the University of Costa Rica recommends using the license: Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 3.0 Costa Rica (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). To generate free licenses for your works visit: http://www.creativecommons.org

Can I deposit someone else's work?

Yes, with permission of the author or of the academic unit in which the document was generated.

A unit of UCR (center, institute, office, faculty, school, etc.) can deposit works done by functionaries?

Yes. As mentioned in section 6 of the General Guidelines for the Dissemination of Scientific Information at the University of Costa Rica: "Unless otherwise agreed, the University of Costa Rica will be the owner of the economic rights and shall be authorized to disseminate the works in the context of labor relations, public employment, or professional services, funded or sponsored by it... all of the above in accordance with Article 40 of the Law of Copyright and Related Rights in relation to Article 16 Decree N° 24611-J (Regulations of the Law on Copyright and Related Rights) and judgments of the courts of the Republic on this matter."

A unit of UCR (center, institute, office, faculty, school, etc.) can deposit works done by students?

Yes, when it has the authorization of those students.

Kérwá supports work done by students?

Yes. In the case of the Final Graduation Works or Community Service reports the student may submit them without restrictions. Course works must be accompanied by teacher recommendation. Academic units may submit student works with their authorization.

As a new user, I must provide an institutional email?

No. You may use a personal email. However, by providing the institutional email it is easily corroborated the depositor comes from the University, streamlining the review by the Research Office and thus the visibility of the document to the public.

What document size Kérwá endures?

Up to 4 GB.

If I divulge my job on Kérwá, am I more susceptible to plagiarism?

No. Contrary to what is sometimes thought of, various literature sources point that placing the documents in open access facilitates the detection of a situation of plagiarism, since by being available, it can be identified whether part or the entire document appears in other documents.

How I can protect information "on course" to not lose my publication "originality" when placed in Kérwá?

This is a common concern among researchers who are developing a publication. Still, in the Kérwá Repository you can deposit only metadata work or attach the original file (full text), under the proviso that the second becomes visible until a certain period when the publication comes after that is being developed.

If I place my document in Kérwá, can I also put it in another repository?

Yes. The repository aims to disseminate the work produced in the UCR and does not restrict its occurrence elsewhere.

After placing a work, is it automatically reflected in the Kérwá?

No. It must pass a review process in Research Office. Once completed, the document is publicly visible.

Can I remove my documents from Kérwá?

Yes. On request to the administration of Kérwá via email (kerwa@ucr.ac.cr) or letter addressed to the Research Office of the University of Costa Rica.