Viking Digital Repository is ECSU’s official institutional digital archive, managed by the G.R. Little Library. It collects, preserves, and provides free online access (“open access”) to the scholarly and creative works of ECSU faculty, staff, and students.
You can submit a wide variety of work, including:
Peer-reviewed journal articles
Theses and dissertations
Conference presentations or posters
Digital media projects
Music scores and sound recordings
Artwork and photography
Open Educational Resources such as instructional materials and reports
Video or multimedia content
If you’re unsure whether your work is a good fit, contact the repository team for guidance.
“Open access” means your work is freely available to anyone online, without paywalls or subscriptions. This increases visibility, usage, and citation of your work by researchers, educators, and the general public worldwide.
Yes. Viking Digital Repository uses non-exclusive distribution rights, meaning:
You retain full copyright and are free to publish, share, or distribute your work elsewhere, including in journals, books, or other platforms. You’re not giving up ownership or limiting your publishing options.
This is one of the most misunderstood aspects, and it’s important to know: Depositing in our repository does not restrict future publishing.
Yes. All repository items are indexed by major search engines like Google, Google Scholar, and library discovery systems. Each item receives a permanent URL that won’t break, ensuring long-term access and citation.
Yes. Each item page displays real-time statistics on how many times your work has been viewed or downloaded. This data helps demonstrate your impact and engagement beyond the classroom.
Increased visibility and citation
Long-term preservation
A stable and permanent link (URL) to share your work
Support for tenure, promotion, and grants
Validation and recognition of ECSU scholarship and creativity
Yes. Many faculty are unsure whether they can legally deposit their published articles. Viking Digital Repository staff can help clarify your rights and guide you through the process.
Most publishers do allow authors to deposit a version of their article — such as a preprint or the accepted manuscript — in an institutional repository. This often comes with conditions, like an embargo period or a specific version requirement.
You can verify a journal or publisher’s policy using the following tool:
Jisc Open Access Policy Finder: https://openpolicyfinder.jisc.ac.uk/
We recommend checking directly through this site, contacting the journal editor, or asking our team to assist you with verification.
Important Note: If your research was supported by U.S. federal funding, such as from NIH, NSF, or DOE, you are generally required by law to make your research openly accessible. This requirement is reinforced by the 2022 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum:
“Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research”
(OSTP, 2022)
Anyone with internet access. That’s the power of open access — making your scholarship freely available to researchers, educators, students, and the public around the world.
You can submit it directly using our submission form, or the repository team can assist with the process. In some cases (e.g., theses or capstone projects), your department may coordinate submissions.
No. It includes faculty, staff, and student works — including research, creative projects, and institutional output that represent ECSU’s scholarly contributions.
Your work remains in the repository and continues to be accessible, unless you request removal. If you publish elsewhere or want to update your profile, you can contact us. We can also mark your profile as "active during [year]" to maintain accurate context.
Yes. The repository is hosted on a secure, stable platform with long-term preservation infrastructure. Your work is backed up and protected — even if your personal website or external publisher removes it later.
We understand that updates or takedowns may be needed (e.g., for legal, copyright, or accuracy reasons). You can contact the repository team, and we’ll assist with revisions or removal as appropriate.
By showcasing the intellectual and creative output of the ECSU community, the repository supports our mission of academic excellence, research visibility, and public engagement. It is a powerful tool for communicating the impact of ECSU to the world.
A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a permanent, unique link assigned to digital content like articles, datasets, or presentations. It ensures your work can always be found and cited correctly — even if the original website changes.
If your work already has a DOI from a journal or publisher, include it when submitting to the repository. If it does not have one, Viking Digital Repository staff can work with you to generate a DOI through the system (when applicable), giving your work a persistent identifier for long-term access and citation.
An ORCID iD is a free, unique researcher identifier that distinguishes you from others with similar names. It links your publications, grants, and academic activities under a single profile — regardless of name variations or institutional changes.
We strongly encourage ECSU faculty, staff, and students to create an ORCID iD and connect it to your repository submissions. This improves attribution, visibility, and makes it easier to track your scholarly output across platforms.
Create your free ORCID iD here: https://orcid.org/register
G.R. Little Library
Elizabeth City State University
