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SPARK Digital Commons Repository

SPARK is the Institutional Repository (IR) for Bethel University's digital resources and digital commons for advancing the strategic objective of supporting open access to Bethel's scholarship.

SPARK Policies

This policy reflects our university's commitment to advancing academic freedom, removing barriers to knowledge, and providing access to scholarly works created by our community. Through the establishment of a repository and adherence to the principles outlined below, we aim to foster an environment of open exchange and collaboration in the pursuit of scholarly knowledge.

These policies apply to all readers and all faculty, students, and staff who use SPARK, Bethel University’s institutional repository. 

What is SPARK:  

Bethel University creates impact by highlighting the products of its scholarly community in the SPARK institutional repository. SPARK’s goals include advancing academic freedom, knowledge, and research by collecting, preserving, and providing open access to the scholarly and creative works produced at Bethel and its affiliated community. There are no funding or research-based requirements for a work (“Work”) to be eligible to be published in SPARK. SPARK policies are consistent with copyright law.

The types of Work allowed in SPARK include: 

  • Versions of Work: pre-prints, accepted manuscripts, post-prints, and metadata only (which may or may not include a link to a published version).
  • Student theses/dissertations
  • Student Work that received an award, and faculty sponsored student Work.
  • Data sets.
  • Conference proceedings and posters.
  • Faculty development resources.
  • Committee reports and organization newsletters.
  • Community learning.

Policies

  1. Permanent Record in the Repository:  The SPARK repository is a permanent record of Works created by the Bethel-affiliated community. Once a Work is deposited, a Version of the Work and its citation will remain accessible indefinitely.
  2. Author/Creator Retains Ownership and Control:  The author/creator retains ownership and control of copyright to the Work submitted, subject only to granting the university a non-exclusive license, or the rights to keep a self-archive copy in SPARK, upon submission. Granting a non-exclusive license allows the author/creator to keep their copyrights and/or transfer them in the way that they choose.
  3. Original Work Product:  Works submitted must be the original Work product. of the author/creator and must not not infringe on the intellectual property or other legally protected rights of any third party.
  4. Responsibility for Copyright and Privacy/Confidentiality:  The author/creator is responsible for addressing copyright and privacy/confidentiality issues in their submissions, including any necessary redactions, citations, acknowledgments and/or permissions before it is submitted.
  5. Compliance with Publisher Policies:  Works submitted must comply with any publisher's policies if published elsewhere. Author/creator must indicate the Version being submitted and if required by the publisher, apply a Creative Commons License. When the version is not included, we can only publish the metadata. A link to the published version will replace publishing a full-text copy.
  6. Encouragement of Creative Commons License Use:  Works displaying a Creative Commons license in their record and/or on the Work itself, are governed by the terms selected by the author/creator, facilitating broader dissemination and use while respecting authorial intent.  
  7. Embargo Policy:  Embargos of up to 2 years are permitted under specific circumstances, such as patent pending, personal privacy, corporate secrets, or copyright agreements with potential publishers. Permanent embargos are not allowed.
  8. Preservation and Access:  The university may maintain multiple copies of a Work for preservation, access, reproduction, and distribution purposes, ensuring long-term availability and usability.  
  9. Submission Process:  To submit Work to SPARK, author/creator can use this Google form here and add your Bethel email.
  10. Third Party Use Disclaimer:  Because materials in SPARK are accessible to anyone with internet access, Bethel shall have no responsibility or liability for any third party use of a Work following submission. 

Author’s Rights

  1. Retention of Copyright Ownership and Control:  The authors/creators retain ownership and control of copyright to the Work they submit.
  2. Encouragement of Copyright Retention:  The authors/creators are encouraged to retain their copyrights enabling them to contribute their Work by self-archiving it to an institutional repository.
  3. Copyright Attribution:  Any editing, reproduction, or other use of this material requires the express written permission of the copyright owner and adherence to fair use guidelines (Title 17, §107 U.S.C.). 

For further information about copyright, see: Author Copyright Guidelines

Fair Use 

Fair use (Title 17, §107 U.S.C.) for educational purposes or personal use is allowed. Otherwise, you may not reproduce, republish, post, transmit or distribute any material from SPARK in any physical or digital form without the written permission of the copyright owner of the material.

Retention of Works

The repository is a permanent record of Works created by the Bethel-affiliated community. Once a Work is deposited, a citation to the Work will always remain. Bethel may, without changing the content, convert the digital copy to any medium or format necessary for the purpose of long-term preservation. 

Updated Versions of content may be posted, and can be linked to the first posted Version. Earlier Versions may be removed, but we encourage authors to maintain these Versions in the repository as a record of the development of posted contents. 

If contributors leave Bethel, their Work will remain in the repository. At their request, new contact information can be added to their files. 

Withdrawal of Works

Removing content is only allowed in exceptional circumstances. In these cases, authors may request that the SPARK Coordinator remove specific Works. Reasons for removal may include contractual issues, copyright infringement, plagiarism, or falsification of data. 

The SPARK Coordinator is responsible for approving and documenting all such withdrawals, in consultation with the author and/or department affiliates.

Policy Commitments

This policy underscores our university's commitment to promoting open access to scholarly works while respecting the rights of authors/creators. By adhering to these principles, we facilitate the free exchange of ideas, advance academic freedom, and contribute to the enrichment of scholarly discourse.

QUESTIONS? 

If you have questions about SPARK policies, please contact spark@bethel.edu.

(Adapted with permission from St. Kates, Sophia Repository, https://sophia.stkate.edu/policies.html)

SPARK Policies © 2024 by Kari Jagusch is licensed under CC BY 4.0