University of Houston Libraries

Table of Contents: 

• General deposit guidelines
• Deposit an item
• Deposit multiple items

• Work Origin — Works must be wholly or partially created or sponsored by University of Houston faculty, researchers, alumni, staff, or students.
  • If you have transferred your copyright to a publisher, you are likely still able to deposit a version of your article or book chapter to UHIR. To determine your journal or publisher’s policy toward submitting to an institutional repository, we recommend consulting Open Policy Finder, a public database of publisher copyright policies. Bear in mind that while Open Policy Finder is a reliable resource, it does not cover all journals or publishers and should not be relied upon as legal counsel.
  • For help determining your rights as an author or for clarification around copyright issues, please contact Xiao Zeng (xzeng4@central.uh.edu), Open Publishing Librarian.
• Digital Format — All submitted works must be in digital format and fall into the content requirements. Please refer to the Digital Preservation Guidelines for recommendations on the best formats for digital preservation.
• Permanent Contribution — Works deposited in UHIR are intended as permanent contributions to the repository. Therefore, submissions should be complete and ready for dissemination. We also strongly encourage depositing works that may later be published in other formats, such as preprints and working papers.
• Rights and Copyright Retention — Authors or copyright holders must be willing and able to grant UHIR a Non-Exclusive Right Deposit License to preserve and distribute their works through UHIR. Authors or copyright holders retain all copyrights to their submitted works. For more details, please refer to the UHIR Copyright and Intellectual Property Guidelines .
• Completeness of Series Works — If the work is part of a university series (e.g., discussion papers or technical reports), we encourage the submission of other works in the series to allow UHIR to provide as comprehensive a collection as possible.

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Once your work fully meets the deposit criteria, you can begin submitting it to the UHIR. Follow the steps below:

Hint: Depositing a work into UHIR is a multi-step process that typically takes 5–10 minutes, depending on the complexity of the work. UHIR automatically saves your progress, so you can pause and resume at any time. Your partially completed submission will appear under your profile on any UHIR page, reminding you to continue. You may also cancel your deposit at any point. 

1. Login
   • Go to the UH Institutional Repository main page and click “Log In” (upper-right corner).
   • Select “Log in with Shibboleth.”
   • Enter your Cougarnet ID and password.
   • From the left task bar, select “New” → “Item.”
   • Select the UH Faculty, Staff, and Student Works collection.
2. Upload Files
   • Drag and drop your files into the designated area or use “Choose File” / “Browse.”
   • UHIR accepts any file format; however, preservation support may vary by type. See the Digital Preservation Guidelines.
   • You can manage or replace files later in the “Upload Files” section.
3. Describe Your Work
   • Complete metadata fields to make your work discoverable through search engines.
   • See detailed requirements in the Metadata Guidelines.
   • Ensure all information is accurate and descriptive.
4. Set Item Access Conditions
   • Check “Discoverable” to make your work visible.
   • “Open Access” is strongly recommended to enhance visibility and impact.
   • For more options, refer to the Access and Use Guidelines.
5. Accept the Deposit License
   • Agree to the UHIR Non-Exclusive Distribution License before completing submission.
   • UHIR does not require copyright transfer.
   • Ensure you have rights to grant the license. For details, see the Copyright and Intellectual Property Guidelines.
6. Complete the Deposit
   • Click “+ Deposit” to finalize your submission.
   • Your submission will be reviewed by a UHIR administrator, typically within 24 hours. You’ll receive a notification once posted.
   • After approval, your work receives a permanent URL for citation and sharing.

If you have questions or need help, contact the UHIR Administrator at cougarroar@uh.edu.

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UHIR supports batch import of 10 or more items. Please ensure the following before submitting:

• File Format Compliance: All works must meet the repository’s Digital Preservation Guidelines.
• Metadata Preparation: Complete the Metadata Template CSV File and email it with files to cougarroar@uh.edu.
• Community and Collection Identification: Specify the target community or collection (or request creation of a new one).

For help or to request a batch import, email cougarroar@uh.edu.

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