About

MROAR is a digital showcase of MRU’s research, scholarship, teaching materials, and intellectual contributions. The repository is maintained by the University Library and aims to collect, preserve, promote, and provide open access to these resources.

The repository is maintained by the University Library on behalf of Mount Royal University.

Terms of Use

Eligibility: Who May deposit? 

  • Current faculty, staff, or employees may deposit into appropriate collections. 
  • Students may deposit undergraduate theses or major projects into designated collections. 
  • Others should contact us to determine eligibility. 
  • All deposits are moderated by repository administrators.

Acquisition & Content Guidelines 

MROAR collects materials related to research, scholarship, and teaching & learning at Mount Royal University. Deposited items may include, but are not limited to: 

  • Books & book chapters 
  • Conference presentations & posters 
  • Research datasets (linked to publications) 
  • Journal articles & manuscripts (pre-prints, post-prints, published versions) 
  • Learning objects 
  • Reports, reviews, working papers 
  • Research materials (images, field notes, etc.) 
  • Teaching materials

MROAR supports open access and enables compliance with the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications and other funder mandates.

Deposit Support Statement 

The University Library provides deposit assistance, including:, including a mediated deposit service. Our team will: 

  • Self-deposit guidance & mediated deposit service 
  • Ensure your content meets repository, copyright, and publisher requirements; 
  • Determine if your material is appropriate for deposit; 
  • Ensuring copyright & publisher compliance 
  • Support for funding agency mandates -  help you understand and meet funding agency mandates and requirements.

Non-Exclusive Distribution Agreement 

Depositors must accept the repository’s non-exclusive distribution agreement before submitting materials.

Metadata Statement 

  • All items include descriptive metadata for discovery and access. 
  • Repository administrators may correct, improve, or enhance metadata quality for accuracy and preservation. 
  • Metadata is openly available via OAI-PMH for both non-commercial and commercial reuse provided that links to to the repository or full-text items are maintained.

Preservation Statement 

  • Items are retained indefinitely within MROAR. 
  • The University Library ensures best-practice preservation but cannot guarantee durability for all file formats. 
  • MROAR regularly archives content. 
  • The University is not responsible for lost files.

Licensing Options

Unless the work is already subject to another copyright license, depositors can choose how their work is shared: 

  1. Creative Commons (Recommended) – Identifies you as the author/creator, lets you defines reuse, sharing, and adaptation permissions. 
  2. Standard Copyright – Uses default Canadian copyright law. Permitted uses are determined by standard Canadian copyright legislation. 
  3. CC0 (Public Domain Dedication) – Waives all rights, immediately releasing work into the public domain with "no rights reserved" (forfeiting your copyrights worldwide). 

A Creative Commons license is recommended. These are simple, standardized way to define the permissions for how your work is used, shared, adapted, and protected. Defining these terms increases access to your submission, making them available for use in research and public engagement. 

Default License: Deposited works are subject to CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 unless another license is assigned at submission.

Use of Third-Party Materials 

If your submission includes copyrighted images, including but not limited to, figures, drawings, paintings, photographs, logos, maps, diagrams, tables or charts, you may need written authorization from the copyright holder.

Exceptions: If content falls under fair dealing, Creative Commons, public domain, the work is factual/data or otherwise not protected by copyright, permission may not be necessary.

Copyright Permissions 

You may need written permissions in the following cases: 

  • Co-authored work – Ensure all co-authors/co-creators agree to deposit. 
  • Previously published work or is subject to a previous copyright or licensing agreement – Check publisher agreements or policies for self-archiving restrictions or use the Sherpa/RoMEO tool. 
  • Third-party materials – Obtain permissions if fair dealing or licensing does not apply. For more information, see the “Use of Third-Party Materials” section. 

Get help

Book a consultation with subject specialist or contact MRU’s Copyright Advisor (mrucopyright@mtroyal.ca). Use a template letter prepared by the Copyright Advisor to modify and use when requesting permissions. These permissions should ideally be in writing or be available for independent review by the university Copyright Advisor.

Embargoes & Access Restrictions 

Deposits may be restricted due to: 

  • Publisher embargoes 
  • Privacy concerns 
  • Copyright restrictions 
  • Author requests

Contact repository administrators to set up embargoes or access limitations.

Withdrawal and Takedown Statement 

Although it is generally discouraged, items may be temporarily withdrawn (made private) at the request of a copyright holder, for example if a copyright dispute arises. Items that are demonstrated to be in legal or privacy violation will be permanently removed. For questions or requests, please contact the repository team.