Developing New Streams of Undergraduate Submissions

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) has been successful in attracting faculty participation in Scholarly Commons, its institutional repository. Other than dissertations and theses, however, student submissions have been slow in coming, despite university priorities to support and disseminate undergraduate research. In early 2017, the scholarly communications staff at Hunt Library set out to change that picture. Energized by a Digital Commons webinar exploring approaches to highlighting undergraduate opportunities, they approached campus colleagues with a new venture – capturing the research experiences of students going abroad during the summer of 2017. The idea was enthusiastically embraced and within a short time, a partnership developed among Global Engagement, the Office of Undergraduate Research, and the Library. This presentation will describe the process that the three departments developed to support summer Study Abroad students interested in creating publishable reports and projects. From marketing the idea to students, to offering a workshop designed to give them the tools needed to create a publishable work, to supporting their efforts while they are overseas, through to helping them submit to Scholarly Commons, the interdepartmental collaboration will be paramount in the success of this outreach to students. While still in its initial stages, the Publish the Results of Your Study Abroad Research venture has brought Scholarly Commons to the attention of student groups, faculty teaching in the programs, and campus colleagues who will be able to assist in future undergraduate outreach efforts