Publishing academic monographs and essays on our document server

The MEDIA document server is a certified service which enables students and researchers at the University and other institutes of higher learning in Bremen to publish academic work on the internet at no cost.

The document server provides a permanent archival service that complies with all major standards. Metadata provided by authors is used to index documents on search engines and catalogs, providing widespread exposure. Documents uploaded to the server are published under an Open Access concept, ensuring that they are freely accessible worldwide.
The objectives and criteria of the library’s electronic publishing program are outlined in a policy statement issued by the State and University Library Bremen (SuUB) for users of our document server.

Who can use this service?

The document server can be accessed by staff, students, graduates and researchers based at the University of Bremen and other institutions of higher learning with a valid SuUB user account and library card.
However, only research staff can access the sections Monographs and essays or publish dissertations and postdoctoral theses online.

Publishing articles and essays - a step-by-step guide

Please complete the following steps to publish your document:
Create a digital version (PDF file) - register online, describe and upload your file

1. Create a copy of your work in the compatible format (PDF/A)
Your work will be published as a PDF/A file. This special version of the Portable Document Format (PDF) is a universal file format designed to facilitate document exchange by embedding fonts, formatting, colors and graphics from any source within the document. Its ability to represent documents independently of the software, hardware and operating systems used to create them makes it an ideal presentation format for online publishing.
You can create a PDF/A version of your thesis with Adobe Acrobat, for example. Please note that the PDF of your dissertation must be an accurate reproduction of the original document. A guide to creating PDF files for WORD and Open Office users is available here (in german). LaTeX users should refer to the following guide: Generating PDF/A compliant PDFs from pdftex
Please remember to assign your file a descriptive file name and also set the PDF-internal title and author information correctly so that your document is well presented in Google searches.

2. Register your document online (ORCID)
Once you have prepared the final version of your publication, you can register to submit it online.

You need an ORCID-ID to log on to the library's media server. The ORCID is a worldwide unique ID for scientists. ORCID-IDs are intended to facilitate the electronic assignment of publications and other research activities to researchers. If you do not yet have an ORCID, you can create an ORCID before you register.

Once you have registered online, you will be requested to supply a brief abstract of your work along with the requisite bibliographic metadata before you can upload the PDF/A file to the document server. The metadata and PDF/A file of your publication will be formally reviewed by our staff following this. You will then receive a confirmation e-mail from the library detailing the further procedure. In registering to use this service, users must accept our terms of contract for electronic publications on the document server.

3. Release of the document
Once the process is complete, the work is released and is immediately available worldwide through the library's system. You will receive a long-term valid and therefore citable internet address based on a persistent identifier: DOI

How will publishing my work on the document server affect my ability to approach publishers?

Users of this service grant the State and University Library of Bremen (SuUB) the right to make their article publicly available through its data networks and to allow users to retrieve copies of this digital thesis. If you plan to submit your work to a publisher, you should consult with likely publishers in advance about the availability of your work online.

It is not possible to have your work removed from our document server at a later date, or to revoke usage rights granted to the State and University Library Bremen in order to grant publishers exclusive rights to your work (for further information on the issue of german copyright and usage rights, please follow this link.

My work has been published previously as a monograph or in a scientific journal.
Can I still publish it on the E-LIB document server?

Authors of academic / scientific articles and other works generally grant publishers the right to reproduce their work within the framework of licensing (Lizenzvertrag) and publishing agreements (Verlagsvertrag), which enable publishers to utilize and reproduce content. Traditional publishing agreements grant publishers the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute content, and to make it publicly available through various channels including the internet.

Self-archiving is the secondary publication of content by the author(s). Many publishers now allow authors to self-archive previously published articles and documents provided that certain conditions are met.

The Open Policy Finder database provides information on publisher copyright and usage policies and the conditions under which authors are permitted to self-archive their work. Please note that information provided at the Sherpa/Romeo site does not constitute legal advice – authors are advised to consult with their publishers.  We recommend that you consult with your prospective publisher if you have any doubts as to your legal rights and obligations.

Are my publications reportable to VG Wort?

They can report their publications to VG Wort in order to take advantage of a special distribution. ("Sonderausschüttung")

Can I obtain an ISBN number for work published through the E-LIB document server?

An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique numeric book identifier used to identify books and other independent publications (not including periodicals). ISBN numbers are primarily utilized in the book trade to manage supply and sales chains, and provide a means to identify individual titles. They have no impact on or connection to legal aspects such as copyright and distribution rights, and are not issued for purely digital publications. In some cases, where publishers have agreed to produce a parallel print edition, it may be possible to obtain an ISBN number.

Please note that any content displayed on this page is presented here for information purposes only and is neither intended as nor constitutes legal advice.