By Taye Johnson
Adelphi University's Department of University Libraries launched a Scholarly Works repository for graduate students this semester with the help of Christopher Barnes, assistant professor for University Libraries, and his colleagues. The initiative was inspired by the university's commitment to providing students with a strong foundation for success in their academic careers.
Graduate school is an academic journey that requires the ability to conduct in-depth research, critically analyze information and contribute new knowledge to your field of study. Scholarly works, such as academic papers, articles and presentations, play a crucial role in this process. They not only help you sharpen your research skills, but also serve as a platform to showcase your expertise and establish yourself as a respected professional in your discipline.
The repository, an exclusive online digital platform, is a gateway to store and share the projects that students have done throughout college. It's a unique opportunity for them to establish themselves as a respected professional in their discipline. It’s open to all Adelphi graduate students, regardless of their program or department, underscoring the university's commitment to their academic success.
Scholarly works encompass a wide range of academic and intellectual outputs that contribute to the collective knowledge within a particular field. They can take various forms, including research papers, journal articles, conference papers and collaborative school projects. They’re typically written by academic scholars in the field and are intended for an audience of other scholars. They often include citations to other works, which allows readers to verify the accuracy of the information presented. Scholarly works also tend to be more detailed than popular articles or books, as they are designed to provide a comprehensive overview of a particular topic.
Publishing projects on Scholarly Works can help students to get recognition for the time and effort that went into creating them. It can also help them to build their reputation as a researcher and scholar.
Barnes shared his advice for how students can best utilize the platform. “Adelphi's Scholarly Works repository provides students the opportunity to share their best work with the world in a way that is both professional and reliable. Suppose you deposit a paper, project or other content created for an Adelphi course. In that case, the work will be given a unique digital object identifier (DOI) that makes it easy to share, link to from your résumé or cite from other works. By depositing your work, you also add it to the library's permanent collection, meaning that we will ensure it is preserved and continues to be accessible.”
The repository isn’t just a platform for sharing students’ work; it's a hub for academic networking. By publishing their research findings or presenting at conferences, students can engage in discussions, receive feedback and establish professional relationships. Also, working with other researchers on joint projects can help them expand their academic and professional network and gain access to new research opportunities. These types of opportunities not only enhance a student’s visibility and credibility, but also provide a platform to disseminate their research to a broader audience, fostering a sense of community within the academic world.
To learn more about depositing work in Scholarly Works, go to the Graduate Student Work—Scholarly Works info page.