Why should I submit my work to the ORB? )
There are many benefits to submitting works to the ORB. These include:

  • Open access and visibility: Works will be discoverable through all major search engines and will not blocked by subscription walls. Visibility increases the chances of your works being shared, read, and cited.
  • Satisfying funding mandates: As a non-commercial platform, the ORB fulfills government funding agencies' requirements to publish and share research openly.
  • Interactive dashboards to measure engagement: Authors can access a dashboard showing the number of downloads, reader engagement, and other usage statistics. The dashboard information can be customized and shared with stakeholders via a link or embedded directly onto another site.
  • Plum-X Metrics: Each work has PlumX metrics attached and is visible to anyone who discovers the page. PlumX metrics show how often works are viewed, downloaded and mentioned on social media platforms.

Who can submit works to the ORB?
Faculty, staff, and students affiliated with Binghamton University may submit works to the ORB.

Do I need an account?
Creating an author account provides additional functionality, including managing research alerts and saving searches. Logged-in authors can access their Author Dashboard (located under Dashboard Tools) to monitor their work’s readership, usage statistics, and PlumX Metrics.

What type of content can I submit?
Content submitted to the ORB is intended to be open access. The ORB accepts a range of content including, but not limited to:

  • Articles, working papers, white papers
  • Conference Papers, presentations, posters
  • Data sets
  • Recordings such as oral histories, podcasts, music
  • Open-access journals produced or edited by Binghamton faculty, staff, or students
  • Materials documenting campus life activities, groups, or events Image collections
  • Dissertations, theses (doctoral or masters)
  • OERS
  • Open access monographs and book chapters

    • We do not collect works created in a personal capacity unrelated to the university's research, scholarship, or creative output.

    How do I ensure my work in the ORB complies with copyright law?
    Authors are responsible for ensuring they have the rights or permissions to post a work in the repository. Generally, if you are the author, you are the copyright holder. However, rights may have been transferred to the publisher in some cases. It is important to review signed publishing agreements. Authors are responsible for compliance with publisher agreements governing previously published or forthcoming works. The tool SHERPA RoMEO provides information about academic publishers' open-access policies. It details which journals allow self-archiving, under what conditions, and any restrictions that may apply. Any work that violates copyright law will be removed from the ORB.

    What if my work includes copyrighted materials owned by a third party?
    If a submission includes third-party copyrighted material, permission is required to post the material in the ORB. Depending on the situation/context, third-party materials may be covered under Fair Use.

    How does the submission process work?
    Submit your work via the Share Your Work Request Form or contact the ORB administrator to discuss submission options.
    Authors must identify which category to deposit a work in, e.g., department or series, and complete the form with the required fields: Title, Author(s), Document type, Publication date, and Upload file.
    Adding an ORCiD id and Creative Commons licence is encouraged. To learn more about ORCiD see: ORCID at Binghamton University. For Creative Commons, see:Open Educational Resources (OER) Guide
    Files can be uploaded directly or linked from a remote site. Please note that if you choose to link to a remote site, you will not have access to download reports or PlumX Metrics.
    Authors must accept the submission agreement granting Binghamton University the non-exclusive rights to host the material, including making it available online. The ORB administrator will review the work for copyright and policy compliance, approving it within a few days.

    Can I restrict access to my works?
    The ORB is an open-access repository. Works are intended to be shared with the public without restrictions. However, authors can request certain access levels, including the embargo option. Please get in touch with the ORB administrator for more information.

    What type of formats can I submit?
    The system generally accepts any file format. Each submission includes a primary file and optional supplemental files. The primary file is assigned a cover page and is the file for which download counts and other metrics are collected. Supplemental files are not converted to PDF and do not collect usage metrics. Supplemental files can be hidden from public view if needed. They can preserve related records, such as permissions or forms, without making them openly available.

    Do I still retain copyright after submitting my work to the ORB?
    Yes, authors retain all rights and can publish the work elsewhere.

    What rights will Binghamton University have over the works I submit to the ORB?
    Binghamton University is granted the nonexclusive right to host this material. Authors retain all other rights.

    What if someone wants to use my work?
    The Libraries can not grant permission to use works posted in the ORB. Fair use permits downloading or printing any portion of scholarly or creative works for personal or educational use. Any further editing, reproduction, republishing, or distribution of the material that is not for educational purposes requires the express written permission of the copyright owner. For works submitted to the ORB that display a Creative Commons licence in their record and on the work itself, the use of that work is governed by the terms of the licence selected by the Author.

    How can I make updates or request that my work be removed from the ORB?
    The ORB is intended to be a permanent repository. Content deposited in the ORB must be completed works and files and not in progress or regularly updated. Requests for updates or removal will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact the ORB administrator with your name, the work title, a link to where it appears in the repository, and a brief description of the update you request.
    For take-down requests, refer to the Libraries’ takedown policy

    Will my work be preserved long-term on the ORB?
    The Libraries are committed to preserving and providing access to the repository's contents. However, the ORB is not a digital preservation system. It is beyond the libraries' control if some file formats cease to be supported due to changes in technology and the private sector. In addition, the Libraries may determine, in the future, that our current Institutional Repository platform no longer best meets the needs of the university. Should this be the case, and where possible, content will be migrated, and we will make every effort to ensure that all content remains accessible.

    What happens if I leave the university?
    If an author leaves the University, their material will remain in the repository. Authors may request new contact information be added to the records.