How Do Authors Submit Research to Digital Commons @ CIIS?

Digital Commons @ CIIS is the institutional repository of the California Institute of Integral Studies libraries, and its homepage provides two author-facing entry points: a Submit Research link and an Author Corner section containing an Author FAQ. The repository describes its content as "selected and deposited by the individual university departments and centers on campus," so submission is not necessarily a self-service flow open to any author. Before submitting, check the Author FAQ and confirm with your department or center whether your work is being deposited through that unit.

What the Repository Says About How Content Gets There

The homepage states that research and scholarly output in the repository "has been selected and deposited by the individual university departments and centers on campus." That sentence is the key mechanism to understand: deposit is organized at the department or center level rather than described as an open, individual upload process.

This means an author's practical first step is usually internal — asking the relevant department or center whether the work is being collected for deposit — rather than starting from the public site alone.

Step-by-Step: Finding Submission Guidance

1. Open the repository homepage at digitalcommons.ciis.edu.
2. Locate the Author Corner section in the browse area of the page. It contains an Author FAQ link.
3. Read the Author FAQ for author-facing guidance before doing anything else. This is the repository's own stated source of author information.
4. Find the Submit Research link, also listed in the page's browse/links area, and follow it to see what submission options the repository presents.
5. Check your department or center. Because content is selected and deposited by campus units, ask your department or center whether your work is included in their deposit activity and what they need from you.
6. Contact the CIIS libraries with any remaining repository questions. The repository is described as a service of the CIIS libraries, which makes them the appropriate contact for process questions.

Expected result: after steps 1–4 you will know what the repository itself publishes about author submission; after steps 5–6 you will know whether your specific work is being deposited through your unit and who to ask about next steps.

What to Prepare Before You Ask

The homepage does not list required file formats, metadata fields, or a submission checklist, so avoid assuming specifics. Instead, prepare the information a department or library contact would typically need to route your question:

• Your name and affiliation within CIIS
• The department or center your work belongs to
• The title and type of work (for example, a paper, report, or other scholarly output)
• Whether the work has already been published elsewhere and where

Use these as the content of your inquiry; the repository page itself does not confirm which of these it requires.

Common Sticking Points

• Treating "Submit Research" as an open public upload. The page presents it as a link, but the repository's own description of deposit through departments and centers means you should confirm eligibility rather than assume it.
• Skipping the Author FAQ. It is the repository's designated author guidance and is listed before you need to contact anyone.
• Contacting the wrong office. Repository questions belong with the CIIS libraries, which operate the repository as a service.
• Assuming a timeline or review process. The homepage does not describe review steps or turnaround, so ask rather than plan around an assumed schedule.

Quick Reference

If your goal is simply to read the repository's author guidance, the Author FAQ and Submit Research links are enough. If your goal is to get a specific piece of work deposited, start with your department or center, since that is how the repository describes its content arriving.