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What is OPUS-HSO?
OPUS-HSO (Online Publication Server of Hochschule Offenburg) serves as the University’s platform for electronic publications of scholarly works. OPUS-HSO is offered as a service of the Library in cooperation with the Library Service Center Baden-Württemberg (BSZ).
What advantages does electronic publishing in OPUS-HSO offer?
  • Immediate worldwide availability of the publication without delay due to production, printing and distribution
  • Assurance of the authenticity of the documents and thus their citability
  • Long-term archiving with a permanently stable and citable internet address
  • Bibliographic reference in the local online catalog and in national library directories
  • Full text search of the entire publication
  • Possibility to include multimedia elements (video clips, sound examples, simulations, etc.) and hyperlinks
  • Free of charge publication
  • Cost savings for the publication of theses or dissertations due to the reduction of printed copies
  • Free access to scientific information for teaching and research
How long do the published documents remain available online?
There is no time limit for the availability of the electronic files. They are permanently stored in OPUS-HSO and additionally for a long time on the archive server of the German National Library.
Are documents in OPUS-HSO citable?
Publications in OPUS-HSO are basically equivalent to conventional publications and thus citable. Uniform Resource Names (URN) are generated and registered with the German National Library for the permanent and stable addressing of an electronic resource in OPUS-HSO. The assignment of Document Object Identifier (DOI) is additionally possible for academic works.
Who can publish in OPUS-HSO?
OPUS-HSO is available as a publication platform to all members of Hochschule Offenburg.
What can be published in OPUS-HSO?
  • Bachelor’s and Master’s theses of students at Hochschule Offenburg. You will find important information in this leaflet.
  • Scholarly works of HSO professors, lecturers and students (including research papers, essays, reports, conference contributions, project work, among others)
  • Publication series of Hochschule Offenburg
  • Doctoral dissertations of Hochschule Offenburg
  • Research data created at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences.
Where are the documents published?
  • Final theses of HSO graduates
    Our graduates’ final theses are usually published in the university network. Publication on the internet will only follow if there is a recommendation for this by the thesis supervisors (cf. section on "final theses").
  • All other publications
    All other publications are freely accessible on the internet, and a restriction on their publication in the university network only must be justified. (Please use the note box.)
How can the documents be uploaded in OPUS-HSO?
The material to be uploaded must be on your computer locally. Fill in the publication form as accurately as possible. By saving the form, the description of the electronic material and the file(s) will be transferred to the OPUS server. The data will become visible in OPUS-HSO only after it has been checked and activated by the HSO library staff.
Which file formats can be uploaded?
  • Text files
    - Preferred format: PDF. To convert to PDF you can use the FreePDF freeware, for example.
    - Other possible formats: txt, html, htm, epub, pptx, pps, ppt
  • Audio and video files
    - Images: jpg, gif
    - Audio: wav, mp3, mp4, wma, aac
    - Video: avi, mpg, mov, wmv

You cannot upload other formats (zip, tar, tar.gz) yourself. Skip the point "Upload document". Fill in the rest of the form as completely as possible. To transfer your file, contact the library team.

Please note the maximum file size of 300 MB.

What needs to be considered when publishing final theses?
Theses are usually published only within the university network. For publication on the internet you need the publication recommendation of both supervisors. Have the form signed by both supervisors and upload it together with your thesis in OPUS-HSO, or send it as a scan to the library team promptly after uploading your thesis.

At the same time, theses are often blocked for publication for a certain period of time (“Sperrfrist”), which is binding. If applicable, record the blocking period in the "Release Date" field on the publication form. Please note that a blocking period of maximum two years is allowed for an OPUS publication. If the thesis in question has a longer blocking period, its publication in OPUS-HSO is not possible.

Please specifically note the following when filling out the thesis publication form:

  • Publication in the university network (standard case)
    -> "License": Select "Copyright protected
    -> "Release date": Specify blocking period if applicable
    -> "Open Access status: Select "Closed Access – Closed”
  • Publication on the Internet
    -> "License": select one of the CC licenses.
    -> "Release date": Specify blocking period if applicable
    -> Field "Open Access Status: Select "Open Access – Diamond”
    -> Upload the the supervisors’ publication recommendation or mail it to the library staff
What is the purpose of the publication form?
The publication form beschreibt Ihr elektronisches Material durch sog. Metadaten. Die Daten (z.B. Titel, Autor*innen, Schlagwörter, Abstract usw.) describes your electronic material by so-called metadata. These data (e.g. title, authors, keywords, abstract) are used for later searches for your document in databases. The more carefully you determine suitable keywords for your document, the more precise searches can be later. For information on specific input fields of the publication form, please refer to the explanations attached to them.
What does the Open Access status mean?
The Open Access status describes the category of an openly accessible publication:

  • Diamond: Publications whose use is regulated by a free license (e.g. CC licenses), but for which no fees are charged.
  • Gold: Publication of scientific works in Open Access, e.g. articles in journals (see DOAJ directory), collective works or monographs against payment of a publication fee. Immediately upon publication, these publications are freely accessible (= first publication in Open Access).
  • Green: No free access to a publication on a publisher's site. Within the scope of the second publication right (usually after expiration of a blocking period), a freely accessible version is posted in OPUS-HSO (= "green")
  • Hybrid: Freely accessible under an open license in a subscription journal (not listed in DOAJ directory gelistet).
  • Bronze: Freely accessible on the publisher's site, but without a clearly recognizable license.

  • In constrast, “closed access” refers to publications that are not freely accessible, but can be accessed on publishing platforms, usually for a fee. This also applies to publications that are accessible in Offenburg University’s network on the basis of a licensed agreement.
    Can documents in OPUS-HSO be altered or deleted?
    Documents can to be altered or deleted, which guarantees their authenticity just like with printed publications. If the authors wish to make a correction, the changed document must be entirely re-published in OPUS-HSO, which corresponds to a new edition for printed publications.
    Authors must grant Hochschule Offenburg the right to publish and manage their materials in OPUS-HSO. This is done by transferring these rights of use to the University.
    The same legal provisions apply to electronically published materials and traditional publications. Third-party content may only be used with the consent of the respective author or publisher or in the context of a citation. By marking the rights of use in the publication form, you confirm to the University that you do not violate any rights of third parties. In addition to copyrights, this may also include personal rights, data protection rights, trademark and patent rights.

    The authors of the documents own all usage rights according to copyright law.

    If materials are published first in OPUS-HSO, the authors cede a non-exclusive right of use to Hochschule Offenburg, i.e. the materials can also be published elsewhere (e.g. in a scientific journal or as a monograph).

    If materials are brought into OPUS-HSO that have already been published elsewhere, then this possibility depends on the agreements that the authors have made with the publisher. Many publishers allow electronic parallel publication, provided that it is a university non-profit server (such as OPUS-HSO). The detailed regulations in a publication or author contract are ultimately up to negotiation.

    OPUS-HSO offers authors the possibility to build up an electronic archive of their work.

    • Area search: Search by title, author, key words etc.
    • Full-text search: Search by phrases in the full text of the documents
    • Browsing: Search by departments, institutes or subject groups.
    Where do I search for publications in OPUS-HSO?
    The publications in OPUS-HSO are also searchable in a number of catalogs and databases:
    How can documents be read and printed?
    The materials in OPUS-HSO can be in different formats. Text documents are usually provided in PDF format and can be read and printed with a PDF reader, e.g. Acrobat Reader.
    Can documents be copied and used by others illegally?
    For documents offered in electronic form via data networks, the Copyright Act (UrhG) applies without restriction. All users of the documents are responsible for their own compliance with the law and may be held liable if they misuse them. In particular, individual reproductions, e.g. copies and printouts, may only be made for private use (§ 53 UrhG). Further reproductions may only be made and distributed with the authors’ express permission.
    How should I cite electronic publications?

    Following ISO 690:2021, electronic publications can be cited as follows:

    Wiedemann, Nico: Evaluation of new HTML5 and JavaScript technologies for use in heterogeneous environments. Master’s thesis [online]. Offenburg: Hochschule Offenburg 2012. Available at: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:ofb1-opus-1262 [accessed on 20 June 2022]

    The date should be understood as the last time the source was accessed by the person quoting the reference.