Notice: eScholarship has now moved to the Scholaris platform as of June 2, 2026, . All content has been migrated and the former site will be decommissioned. .
Frequently Asked Questions
Why, what, and how
- How do I upload my papers in eScholarship?
- What is eScholarship?
- What are the benefits of eScholarship?
- When will my thesis be available on eScholarship?
- When will my work appear in Google Scholar?
- Which kind of publications may I submit?
- What is the difference between a ‘pre-print’, an ‘accepted manuscript’, and a ‘published’ version?
- How can I find a copy of my accepted manuscript?
- My papers are on ResearchGate and/or on my personal/departmental website, why should I upload my papers on eScholarship?
- How will the library help me with OA and with complying with my funder’s policy?
- How will people find work that I deposit in eScholarship?
- Do I sign over my copyright when I deposit my works in eScholarship?
- Can I remove or edit material from eScholarship?
Searching & Analytics
- How can I search in eScholarship?
- Can I export a set of results to EndNote, Zotero, Excel, CSV etc.?
- Can I get bulk access to metadata about works in the eScholarship repository?
- Who do I contact if there is an error?
How do I upload my papers into eScholarship?
Fill out our online submission form or send your files via email: escholarship.library [at] mcgill.ca (escholarship[dot]library[at]mcgill[dot]ca). We will check the copyright and upload the items on your behalf.
What is eScholarship?
eScholarship is an open access institutional repository managed by ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ Libraries.
Institutional repositories preserve scholarly materials and make them openly available worldwide. This includes peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, theses and dissertations, etc.
What are the benefits of eScholarship?
- Long-term preservation: We attribute permanent URLs for each item in eScholarship.
- Gain visibility: Search engines such as Google and Google Scholar crawl eScholarship, making it quick and easy for others to find and access your content.
- Funder mandates: Most Canadian public funders have open access policies which require funded researchers’ publications be made freely available. Posting to eScholarship can meet these requirements.
When will my thesis be available on eScholarship?
Availability dates of theses and dissertations are based on date of graduation and not date of submission. Please consult this table:
| Senate Graduation Approval | Cohort sent to the library | Theses available in eScholarship |
|---|---|---|
| February | Mid March | Late March/early April |
| May | Mid June | Late June/early July |
| October | Mid November | Late November/ early December |
*These dates and delivery of ETDs are set by the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office in coordination with the library. Once the full set is received by the library it takes approximately two weeks to verify, prepare and finalize the upload. If you believe your thesis should be online and is not, contact escholarship.library[AT]mcgill.ca
When will my work appear in Google Scholar?
Google Scholar runs its indexing approximately every six months. As such, it may take up to six months before your work appears on their site. Your work should appear in a regular Google search within a few weeks.
Which kind of publications may I submit?
- Research articles
- Working papers
- Conference presentations/papers
- Books/ book chapters
- Departmental research papers
- Technical reports
See also the webpage on How to Submit as well as the eScholarship policy.
We do not accept course materials (e.g. syllabi, assignments, slides etc.).
What is the difference between a ‘pre-print’, an ‘accepted manuscript’, and a ‘published’ version?
During the publishing process, authors will encounter three main versions of their paper:
- Pre-print version (or author’s original manuscript) is:
- The version of the paper you originally submit to the journal (i.e. before peer review)
- The accepted manuscript (or post-print) is:
- The version of the paper after peer review but BEFORE copyediting and typesetting.
- Saved by the author.
- Typically allowed to be posted to repositories.
- The publisher version (or version of record) is:
- The final version that is published in the journal with all the typesetting, layout etc.
- Not typically allowed to be posted to repositories
Note the Tri-Agency policy requires either the accepted manuscript or the publisher version to be made available in an open repository.
How can I find a copy of my accepted manuscript?
The provides useful advice on locating accepted manuscripts.
My papers are on ResearchGate and/or on my personal/departmental website, why should I upload my papers on eScholarship?
ResearchGate does not:
- Check if you have the right to upload your papers and leaves this responsibility to you.
- Does not promise to keep your papers available in perpetuity.
- Fulfill funder open access requirements.
By contrast, eScholarship will check the copyright, preserve your materials in perpetuity, and meets OA requirements of grant agencies.
How will the Libraries help me with complying with my funder’s OA policy?
Email escholarship.library [at] mcgill.ca (subject: CV%20review%20for%20Open%20Access) (escholarship[dot]library[at]mcgill[dot]ca) with your list of publications and we will:
- Review the funding agency OA policy.
- Check the copyright policy of journals you've published with (or plan to publish with).
- Determine where the full text of an article may be deposited in eScholarship.
- Obtain and deposit the final PDF of the article where allowed.
We will also advice on any available article processing charge discounts for OA journals.
How will people find work that I deposit in eScholarship?
eScholarship is indexed by the major search engines such as Google and Google Scholar. This means that your papers will be accessible and visible to anyone looking for papers in your field.
Do I sign over my copyright when I deposit my works in eScholarship?
No.
When depositing papers in , you grant the University a non-exclusive distribution license. The University has the rights to distribute your materials and you keep the right to post them on other repositories or other websites.
Can I remove or edit material from eScholarship?
As a general policy, eScholarship does not allow to remove or edit items once deposited. There may be exceptions:
- Replacing a paper with an updated version
- Updating a record if there is a mistake (e.g. authors names, title, metadata).
If you want to remove or edit material you authored in eScholarship, escholarship [at] mcgill.ca (contact the eScholarship repository team.).
For recently-submitted theses, please contact Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
How can I search in eScholarship?
We have prepared which includes search tips to help you find your way in eScholarship.
Can I export a set of results to EndNote, Zotero, Excel, CSV?
Unfortunately this functionality is not currently available.
Can I get bulk access to metadata about works in the eScholarship repository?
Yes! eScholarship provides metadata for harvesting via the (OAI-PMH). The OAI-PMH baseURL is .
Please note that while the metadata in eScholarship is available for free use for any purpose, the works themselves may still be under copyright protection. Please see the rights metadata field in each OAI-PMH record for information about the rights status of any given item.
Who do I contact if there is an error?
Please email escholarship.library [at] mcgill.ca (escholarship[dot]library[at]mcgill[dot]ca) with any corrections.