Digital Commons (DC) supports most file types and sets no limits on file size or storage. Details for specific types of files and related features are provided below. For further questions or support, please visit our Contact Us page for details on how to reach our Consulting Services team.

Supported File Formats

Almost any file type can be uploaded to DC. Supported file formats are listed here by type of content:

Documents: PDFs (including OCR’d works), Word, Excel, PowerPoint, RTF, and other common formats. Text-based files are indexed in search and made available to search engines if they contain searchable text (including OCR'd PDFs). Image-based PDFs without OCR are not indexed.

Images: JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, EPS, JPEG2, JPEG2000, and JPX. These files are supported in all publication structures. In image galleries, only image files are supported; the unmodified file is made available as the primary download, while preview and thumbnail images are generated as JPEGs. HEIC files are not supported.

Videos: Supported via native streaming of files uploaded directly to DC or via embedding from external sources (including YouTube, Vimeo, or numerous options available via embed.ly). All major video file types are supported, such as MP4, MOV, and WMV. See Streaming Video, Audio, and Other Media for details.

Audio Files: All major types are supported, including MP3, M4A, and WAV. See Streaming Video, Audio, and Other Media for more information.

Other File Types:

• ZIP files are supported in DC.
• Executable (.exe) files are not recommended due to susceptibility to corruption, even if the file is zipped or compressed. We recommend metadata-only for this type of record, with a link out to the file, if desired. Another option is uploading a zipped file containing not the executable itself, but the source/build files.
• PDF Portfolios: Not supported.

File Size and Storage

There are no storage limits in DC. However, a few best practices and considerations around large files are helpful to remember:

• Large files, especially those over 500 MB, may result in upload or download issues for users over slower networks or connections.
• Very large files can take a while to download even over fast connections and can cause some users to give up.
• To avoid potential issues with larger files:
  • Compress files and reduce file size as much as possible, within acceptable limits to preserve quality.
  • Consider splitting them into multiple files, either on separate submissions or on the same submission by using additional files.

Primary vs. Additional Files

A submission can contain a primary file and it can also contain multiple additional files.

Primary File:

The primary file for a submission is the file available via the main Download button on the item page. A submission without a primary file is considered a metadata-only submission.

PDFs are the standard text-based file format for primary files:

• DOC, DOCX, and RTF files are automatically converted to PDF by default (the original “native” file versions are stored with the submission).
• PDF files receive automatically generated cover pages (more details on cover pages below).
• In all publication structures except image galleries, PDF is the default file type that’s made available via the download button.
• Other supported file types besides PDF can be uploaded as primary files. To make those files available via the download button, see “Choosing Which Primary File Is Available for Download” below.

Additional Files:

A submission can also include additional files, which appear in a separate section as pictured above. These are supplemental materials that can be uploaded as companion files to a primary file or made available on a metadata-only submission.

How additional files are submitted and managed:

• Authors and administrators may upload additional files when submitting a work. 
• Administrators can also upload and adjust additional files, including hiding individual files, using the Supplemental Content link on the Submission Details page.
• The additional files option is enabled by default and appears on the submission form in most publication structures. If the option doesn’t appear in a structure and you would like it enabled, please contact Consulting Services.
• Additional files remain in their native format when submitted to DC; they are not converted to PDF and don’t receive cover pages or their own metadata.

Choosing Which Primary File Is Available for Download

Two options allow you to control the file type offered when a user clicks the Download button.

“Allow Native File Download” Configuration:

The “Allow native file download” configuration can be enabled for a publication structure to make files that don’t automatically convert to PDF available for download.

This setting is useful if you wish to offer native files such as XLS or PPTX as the primary download, while also continuing to make PDFs available for text-based files published to the structure. To show a text-based file (DOC, DOCX, or RTF) that has converted to PDF instead of the PDF file, use the Download Link Behavior Tool described below. 

If using Digital Commons native streaming to stream videos on item pages, videos will display as expected even if the “Allow native file download” configuration is off. Enabling that configuration makes the video file available via the Download button as well.

Download Link Behavior Tool:

This tool is available on the View Revisions screen of all submissions. It allows you to change which primary file is offered via the Download button for individual submissions.

The default display preference for primary files is always PDF first (image galleries excepted). With the Download Link Behavior Tool, you can choose the most recent native file, if present, as the downloadable file instead.

Example application: A submission has a PDF associated with it, and later you upload a PowerPoint file. The item page continues to display the original PDF by default. The Download Link Behavior Tool can be used to ensure that the PPTX displays publicly instead. 

The tool also includes a metadata-only option that removes the Download button from the item page.

Only two choices (PDF and metadata-only) will show if no native file is present. Image galleries will always show two choices: the uploaded image file and metadata-only.

PDF Cover Pages

DC automatically adds accessible cover pages to PDFs. Cover pages include essential metadata like title, authors, publication date, and links to the DC collection or journal where the work appears.

A secondary cover page automatically displays as well when there are more than five authors.

Optional cover page features:

• A header logo, footer logo, custom note, and/or custom footer text can be added to PDF cover pages on request.
• You can request that the secondary page always displays and that additional metadata be included on this page, if desired.
• For other cover page customizations, please share your request with Consulting Services.

Cover page settings:

The “Enable PDF Cover Pages” setting is enabled by default on the Configuration page of all publication structure types (except image galleries). To disable cover pages for any series or other publication type: uncheck the setting, save, and then update the structure.

Author email addresses will appear on cover pages if they are present in the metadata. They can be hidden, if needed, using the “Hide author email address(es) on PDF cover pages” configuration.

For PDF/A files or encrypted PDFs, additional settings apply; please contact Consulting Services with questions or requests.

PDF Header and Footer Stamping

The stamping of a header and footer onto PDF article pages themselves can be enabled by request.

Header: Displays author name and article title on odd pages, with journal information on even pages.

Footer: Shows the repository name and publication year on odd pages, with the article URL on even pages. Page numbers appear in the bottom right corner.

PDF Viewer

The PDF viewer is available in all publication structures except image galleries. The viewer can be enabled using the “Enable PDF viewer on item information pages” setting on a structure’s Configuration page.

Each view of an information page containing a PDF viewer counts as a download of the full-text PDF.

Files and Batch Upload

Batch Upload File Manager: This tool provides online storage for files that you wish to batch import. The Batch Upload File Manager link appears in the Manage Submissions sidebar of each publication structure. See Batch Upload File Manager for more information.

File names for batch uploads: When batch uploading files, the file names should be no longer than 255 characters. See Batch Upload, Export, and Revise for more information about file imports.