By default, items in ResearchWorks Institutional Repository have no access restrictions, that is, they are openly and freely available via the World Wide Web. Open access to deposited items encourages the distribution, dissemination, promotion, and use of research and scholarship produced at UW. The University Libraries strongly encourages depositors not to place access restrictions on deposited items.
However, there may be some situations when depositors need to restrict access to items in ResearchWorks. For example, a publisher may allow deposit of published articles into an institutional repository (such as ResearchWorks), but require an embargo of six months before the article may be made publicly accessible. Such a postprint might be deposited into ResearchWorks, but no access would be allowed for a period of six months. The maximum embargo period should normally not exceed 5 years. It is preferable to deposit the non-publisher version of a document if there are no access restrictions on that version of the document.
If a depositor or a ResearchWorks Community wishes to restrict access, change the level or time period of restrictions, or lift restrictions to an item after it has been deposited, they must contact the ResearchWorks staff at [email protected] in order to make these changes. At this point, it is not possible for a depositor or a ResearchWorks Community to make changes to access restrictions on an item(s) after it has been deposited. See ResearchWorks Withdrawal Policy.