For Authors: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I submit materials to Georgetown Law’s Scholarly Commons on bepress?
- Who can submit materials?
- What materials can be submitted?
- Copyright Guidelines for Authors
- After I've submitted my paper, how long will it take for it to appear?
- How do I make a revision to a paper that has already been posted?
- Once I submit a paper to the Scholarly Commons, do I have to leave it up for any given period of time?
- Is there a fee to submit a paper to the Scholarly Commons?
- Is submitting a paper to the Scholarly Commons on bepress the same as submitting a paper on ExpressO?
- I still have a question. Whom do I contact for more information?
- How do I submit materials to Georgetown Law’s Scholarly Commons on bepress?
To submit, please use our web submission form.
- Who can submit materials?
Any full-time faculty at Georgetown Law may submit materials. In addition, we encourage all institutes and centers to submit reports and other scholarship. Materials from law students will be considered on a case by case basis.
- What materials can be submitted?
You may submit any material, in any format, to the Scholarly Commons. Authors are encouraged to submit all journal articles, book chapters and working papers, no matter the date of authorship. You should hold copyright to the works or have the approval of the copyright holders to do so. For non-print media, contact the Scholarly Commons administrator at .
- Copyright Guidelines for Authors
To post a work to the Scholarly Commons, you should hold the copyright to that work, or have the approval of the copyright holder to do so. As the author, you are the copyright holder unless and until you transfer the copyright to someone else in a signed agreement. You can transfer copyright while holding back rights for yourself and others. We encourage you to do so. The SPARC Author Rights Initiative can help you with this.
Many publishers permit the pre-publication and post-publication posting of materials to institutional repositories such as the Scholarly Commons on bepress.
For your convenience, the following are links to model publishing agreements that specifically permit such posting:
- SPARC Author’s Addendum To Publication Agreement
- Scholar's Copyright Addendum Engine helps you generate a PDF form to attach to a journal’s copyright agreement
- Open Access Law: Publication Agreement & Copyright License
- MIT Amendment to Publication Agreement
- After I've submitted my paper, how long will it take for it to appear?
A paper submitted to the Scholarly Commons will be posted quickly, generally within 24 hours.
- How do I make a revision to a paper that has already been posted?
To make a revision, send an email to Yelena Rodriguez, Scholarly Communications Assistant at with the subject line "Working Paper Revision." Attach the revised paper to the email. In the text of the email, include any changes to the author(s), title, abstract or keywords that are necessary. If you want the library to make the same change on SSRN, include that information and the JEL codes if they are to change. We will update the appropriate information and upload the new version of the paper. You will be notified by bepress when the revision has been completed.
- Once I submit a paper to the Scholarly Commons, do I have to leave it up for any given period of time?
No. We will immediately remove your paper any time you would like.
- Is there a fee to submit a paper to the Scholarly Commons?
No fee is charged for the submission of abstracts and papers to the Scholarly Commons. Authors are encouraged to submit all their research papers, including older papers
- Is submitting a paper to the Scholarly Commons on bepress the same as submitting a paper on ExpressO?
No. ExpressO is a different service on bepress. You use it to submit manuscripts electronically to multiple law journals of your choosing. Please contact Anna Selden, Georgetown Law’s Faculty Manuscripts Editor, 662-9405, with any questions about ExpressO
- I still have a question. Whom do I contact for more information?
Contact Yelena Rodriguez, Scholarly Communications Assistant at or 202-662-9136 with any questions.