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. .
Why, what, and how
- How do I upload my papers in eScholarship?
- What are the benefits of depositing my work in 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?
- Can I submit a work that is under embargo?
- 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 open access 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?
- How do I make my files accessible for people with disabilities?
- How do I convert my thesis file into a PDF/A?
- Can I remove or edit material from eScholarship?
- How can I get my legacy thesis digitized for eScholarship?
Searching and 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?
- How can I see if my legacy work is in eScholarship?
- Who do I contact if there is an error?
How do I upload my papers into eScholarship?
Fill out our 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 are the benefits of depositing my work in 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, not the date of submission. Please consult this table for details:
| 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 are set by the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office in coordination with the Libraries. Once a set of theses is received by the library, it takes approximately two weeks to verify, prepare and finalize the files. If you believe your thesis should be online and is not, contact escholarship.library [at] mcgill.ca (escholarship[dot]library[at]mcgill[dot]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 the eScholarship policy for full details.
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.
Can I submit a work that is under embargo?
Yes. We handle the embargo periods for journal publications, ensuring it does not appear on the site until the appropriate time. This means you can send your publication to eScholarship immediately upon acceptance, even if your publisher requires an embargo period.
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 open access requirements of grant agencies.
How will the Libraries help me with complying with my funder’s open access 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 open access 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 open access 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 eScholarship, 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.
For Research publications (e.g. articles, books etc.): Publisher agreements often dictate which version can be shared in an institutional repository (e.g., pre-prints, post-prints/author-accepted manuscripts). Papers that have been previously published must have copyright permissions verified. The Libraries help determine the rights of authors to submit papers to eScholarship.
Additional copyright information can be found at:
- (a database of publisher self-archiving policies)
For theses and dissertations: Thesis authors sign a that permits their work to be deposited in and You retain copyright of your thesis. Read the license agreement on the Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies website.
How do I make my files accessible for people with disabilities?
To ensure your work can be viewed by people using assistive technologies like screen readers, see our .
How do I convert my thesis file into a PDF/A?
PDF/A is a standard for archiving documents, and is the format required for final myThesis submissions. See the IT Knowledge Base guide to .
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, contact us at escholarship.library [at] mcgill.ca (subject: CV%20review%20for%20Open%20Access) (escholarship[dot]library[at]mcgill[dot]ca).
For recently-submitted theses, please contact Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
How can I get my legacy thesis digitized for eScholarship?
Email escholarship.library [at] mcgill.ca (escholarship[dot]library[at]mcgill[dot]ca) with your name and the title of your paper. We’ll send you a waiver form to sign that gives us digitization rights. The Libraries will review the papers before digitization. We may not be able to digitize all requests due to the copyright status of 3rd party materials or privacy concerns.
How can I search in eScholarship?
We have prepared that includes advanced searching and troubleshooting tips.
Can I export a set of results to EndNote, Zotero, Excel, CSV?
No. 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 .
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 a specific work.
How can I see if my legacy work is in the eScholarship?
Search for your name in . Tip: Search lastname, firstname in quotes (e.g., “Goldsmith, John-Henry”).
Can’t find anything? Let us know: escholarship.library [at] mcgill.ca (escholarship[dot]library[at]mcgill[dot]ca).
Who do I contact if there is an error?
Email escholarship.library [at] mcgill.ca (escholarship[dot]library[at]mcgill[dot]ca) with any corrections.