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General information
Registering Publications in OPUS
Full Texts and Open Access
Licenses and Copyright
Specific Questions
Technical Information
Contact and Support
Miscellaneous
Answers
- What is OPUS and what is it used for?
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OPUS is the publication repository of Westphalian University of Applied Sciences. It documents all scholarly publications by members of the university – including journal articles, book chapters, conference contributions, and other types of academic output.
Your benefit: Your research output becomes visible and discoverable via library catalogues, Google Scholar, and other search engines. In addition, you can publish qualified works directly in full text as Open Access publications via OPUS.
- Do I have to register my publications in OPUS?
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For most publications, registration in OPUS is voluntary but strongly encouraged. It supports the documentation of the university’s research output and increases the visibility of your work.
Registration is mandatory only if your publication was funded by the publication fund of Westphalian University of Applied Sciences.
Good to know: Publications in journals covered by DEAL agreements or other transformative agreements are automatically registered by the library – no action is required on your part.
- Which publications are NOT accepted in OPUS?
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OPUS is intended for qualified scientific publications. Not accepted:
- Unpublished works (unless you want to publish them on OPUS as first publication)
- Partial documents or incomplete manuscripts
- Research data (there are specialized data repositories for this)
- Presentations without written elaboration
- Which publications do I not have to register myself?
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The library automatically registers the following publications for you:
- Articles in journals with DEAL agreements (Wiley, Springer Nature, etc.)
- Publications covered by other transformative agreements
An overview of all transformative agreements at WH can be found here:
https://www.w-hs.de/bibliothek/bibliotheksdienste/publizieren-an-der-hochschule/ - What happens after I submit my data? Is it published immediately?
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Don't worry – your document will not be published automatically immediately!
Here's how the process works:
- You submit your document – with or without full text
- The library carefully reviews your entry:
- Are all metadata complete and correct?
- Is the document type correctly chosen?
- If a full text was provided: Is publication legally possible?
- If there are legal questions, we contact you:
- We clarify the legal situation together
- We advise you on your options
- You decide how to proceed
- Only after your approval and our review will the document be published
That means:
- ✅ Every entry is manually reviewed by the library
- ✅ Nothing goes online automatically
- ✅ If there are uncertainties regarding copyright, we proactively contact you
- ✅ Better to ask once more – we're here to help!
Therefore our recommendation: Upload the full text even if you're uncertain. We'll look at it together and find a solution!
- How do I register my publication?
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The process is very simple:
- Click on “Publish” on the OPUS homepage
- Select the appropriate document type
- Fill in the form with the bibliographic information (title, authors, year of publication, etc.)
- Optional: Upload your publication as a PDF file
- Submit – done!
The library will review your submission and release the entry. If you have any questions or would like to make corrections, simply contact us at publizieren.hb@w-hs.de.
Tip: If entering the data via the online form seems too complicated, you can use our simplified submission form. In this case, the library will take care of registering the publication for you.
- When should I register my publication?
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Please register your publication only after it has been published (i.e. once the article has appeared online or in print).
Exception: If you intend to publish your work for the first time directly via OPUS, you may submit the entry in advance. Please indicate this in the comment field. We will then contact you and, if desired, assign a DOI to your publication.
- What types of publications can I register?
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In general, you can register all scholarly publications in which you were involved as a member of Westphalian University of Applied Sciences, including:
- Journal articles
- Book chapters and monographs
- Conference contributions (papers, posters, presentations)
- Working papers
- Reviews
- Research reports
- Preprints
- Videos and other media
If you cannot find your publication type in the selection list, please choose the closest matching option. The library will review the assignment before releasing the record and adjust it if necessary.
- What is metadata and why is it important?
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Metadata are “data about data” – that is, descriptive information about your publication such as:
- Title and subtitle
- Authors
- Year and place of publication
- Journal or edited volume
- Page numbers
- Abstract or summary
- Keywords
This information ensures that your publication:
- can be found via search engines
- can be cited correctly
- is indexed in library catalogues
The more precise your metadata, the better your publication can be discovered.
For content indexing purposes, we ask that you submit an abstract and approximately five meaningful keywords to increase the visibility of your publication.
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Yes! Please enter all persons who are listed as authors in the publication, even if they are not members of the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences. This is important for:
- correct attribution of scholarly work
- discoverability via author searches
- complete and accurate bibliographic documentation
- Can I edit my data after submitting?
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After submitting the form, you cannot edit the data yourself at first. But don’t worry:
- The library reviews all entries before they are published
- If there are errors or missing information, simply send us an email at publizieren.hb@w-hs.de
- We will correct or complete the data for you
- Should I upload my publication with or without full text?
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We always recommend uploading the full text – if legally possible!
You should upload with full text:
- Open Access publications: Even if your text has already been published Open Access, secondary publication on OPUS is worthwhile – it makes it additionally discoverable via our platform
- Publications with CC license: These may usually be freely redistributed
- Secondary publications: If your publishing contract or legal secondary publication right permits it
- First publications: If you want to publish directly via OPUS
For publications without an Open Access license, we need your consent form. You can find the corresponding form here:
Consent form for publication (PDF)Bibliographic entry only (metadata without full text), if:
- Full text publication is legally not possible
- You initially only want to document the publication
Tip: You can also upload the full text for internal review and note in the comment field that it should not be published initially. We will then check the legal situation and advise you (see next question).
- Can I publish on OPUS if it has already been published elsewhere?
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Yes, this is often possible! Many publishers allow so-called "secondary publication" (also called "Green Road" of Open Access). However: The legal situation varies depending on publisher and contract.
How to check if secondary publication is permitted:
1. Check your publishing contract – it should state whether you have self-archiving rights
2. Use the SHERPA/RoMEO database (now "Open Policy Finder"):
- Provides information about most publishers' policies
- Shows which version you may upload (manuscript, publisher layout, etc.)
- Lists any embargo periods
- Important: The database is not legally binding – your contract prevails!
Link: https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/
3. Legal secondary publication right (§ 38 para. 4 UrhG, German Copyright Act)
Under certain conditions, you have a legal right to secondary publication:- Your research was funded at least 50% with public funds
- The publication appeared in a journal published at least twice annually
- At least 12 months have passed since first publication
When uncertain: Contact us at publizieren.hb@w-hs.de – we're happy to help clarify!
- What is the difference between a preprint and a postprint?
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- Preprint = Your manuscript before peer review
- Postprint = The accepted manuscript version after peer review (often called "Accepted Manuscript" or "Author's Accepted Manuscript")
- Publisher layout = The final, publisher-formatted PDF version
Most publishers allow secondary publication of postprints, some also of preprints. Publisher layouts usually may not be republished.
- Can I upload my conference contribution to OPUS?
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Yes! In two variants:
1. The contribution is already published:
- In a conference proceedings (printed or digital)
- On a conference website
- In an online repository
→ Register the publication with complete details. If legally possible, you can also upload the full text.
2. The contribution is not published elsewhere:
→ You can publish it directly on OPUS as a first publication in full text!Important: Pure presentation slides or oral presentations without written elaboration are not accepted in OPUS.
- What are preprints and can I upload them?
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A preprint is a scientific manuscript that has not yet undergone peer review. Preprints are typically published on discipline-specific preprint servers (e.g., arXiv, bioRxiv, SSRN).
Yes, you can register preprints in OPUS!
If your text is later published in a journal, you can also register that version separately in OPUS – both versions usually differ due to the review process.
- Which license should I choose for my publication?
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When publishing via OPUS, you can decide under which conditions others may use your work.
Option 1: No specific license
- German copyright law applies
- Users may read the publication and copy it for private/academic purposes
- Further use only with your explicit permission
Option 2: Creative Commons licenses
Explicitly allow others certain uses. The most common variants:- CC BY: Attribution – greatest freedom, commercial use allowed
- CC BY-SA: Attribution + ShareAlike
- CC BY-NC: Attribution + NonCommercial
- CC BY-NC-SA: Combination of both
- CC BY-ND: Attribution + NoDerivatives
Recommendation: For scientific publications, CC BY is usually recommended as it optimally enables free reuse and citability.
More info on Creative Commons: https://creativecommons.org
- What legal requirements should I consider?
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By publishing in OPUS, you certify that:
- You have the necessary rights to the work
- No third-party rights are violated (copyright, personality rights, data protection)
- For co-authors: They are informed about the publication and have consented
- For secondary publications: The rights situation with the original publisher is clarified
When uncertain: We're happy to help! Write to publizieren.hb@w-hs.de
- I’m afraid of unintentionally violating copyright. What can I do?
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This is an understandable concern! Here are the most important checkpoints:
✓ For first publications on OPUS:
- You are the author → no problem!
- There are co-authors → obtain their consent
- You used images/photos from third parties → clarify the rights
✓ For secondary publications (already published by a publisher):
- Check your publishing contract
- Use SHERPA/RoMEO or Open Policy Finder
- Check the legal secondary publication right (§ 38 para. 4 UrhG)
✓ When in doubt:
- Ask us! The library is happy to support you in clarifying rights
- Better to ask once too often than risk a problem
- For complex cases, we can find a solution together
Important to know: The library is not liable for rights violations – responsibility lies with the publishing person. But we help you do everything correctly!
- Can I also upload videos or other media?
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Yes, OPUS supports various file formats:
- Documents: PDF (recommended)
- Images: JPG, PNG, TIF, GIF, WEBP
- Media: MP3, MP4
- Others: upon consultation
- How do I obtain a DOI for my publication?
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You can receive a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for publications that you publish for the first time via OPUS.
Here's how:
- Send your publication file with as complete metadata as possible to publizieren.hb@w-hs.de
- Or: Use the OPUS quick form and note in the "Identifier" field that you want a DOI
- The library assigns the DOI free of charge (usually within a few working days)
- You can then insert the DOI into your document
The DOI makes your publication uniquely identifiable worldwide and permanently citable via https://doi.org
- Can I get funding support for my publication?
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Yes! Westfälische Hochschule has a publication fund that supports Open Access publications with up to 2,000 euros.
All information about the publication fund can be found here:
https://www.w-hs.de/bibliothek/bibliotheksdienste/publizieren-an-der-hochschule/informationen-zum-publikationsfonds/Important: If funded by the publication fund, registration in OPUS is mandatory!
- Do I need specific browser settings?
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Yes, one important requirement:
Cookies must be enabled for you to use the publication form.
Most browsers have cookies enabled by default. If you have any problems, please check your browser settings.
- Who can I contact if I have questions?
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We're happy to help you with all questions about OPUS:
Email: publizieren.hb@w-hs.de
Whether it's about clarifying rights, technical problems, or general questions – just send us an informal email. We'll get back to you promptly!
- Privacy Policy
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The privacy policy of Westphalian University of Applied Sciences can be found here:
https://www.w-hs.de/service/impressum/datenschutzerklaerung/

