About eCommons, the AKU Institutional Repository

eCommons@AKU is the Institutional Repository (IR) of the Aga Khan University (AKU). It collects, showcases, archives, and preserves a variety of intellectual output and publications authored by the Aga Khan University community.

The purpose of eCommons is to bring together and give access to the University's research and publications in a digital format on a single dedicated web site.

eCommons will include articles published in peer reviewed journals, Public Affairs material and theses and dissertations. As eCommons develops, we will include more types of materials such as conference papers, research reports, presentations, teaching materials and any other material produced by AKU.

eCommons@AKU is managed by the Aga Khan University Libraries.

Who can contribute?

  • Faculty members, researchers, librarians, students, and staff members of Aga Khan University may deposit appropriate materials in eCommons@AKU. Initially librarians will help secure the required copyright permissions from publishers on behalf of author(s) and deposit it in eCommons@AKU.
  • Retrospective deposits of materials published or created before the authors joined Aga Khan University are permitted as long as the authors are currently affiliated with Aga Khan University.
  • Retrospective deposits of materials by authors who are no longer affiliated with Aga Khan University are acceptable as long as the materials to be deposited were published or created by the authors during their tenures at AKU.
  • All contributors must have the authority to clear copyright or must have the copyright cleared in advance if the materials to be deposited are under the protection of copyright.
  • It is the responsibility of the principal author to get copyright permission from co-author(s), if there is any.

Material Appropriate for eCommons@AKU

For now, only articles published in peer reviewed journals, Public Affairs material and abstracts of theses and dissertations will be included in the repository. As the site develops other types of materials will be included.

Access to the full text of retrieved documents

Documents for which we have obtained full copyright clearance will be accessible as PDF files directly from the retrieval screen.

For some documents, the copyright clearance may still be in process or may have been refused; in this case, you will be linked to the website of the vendor/service that holds the copyright:

  • If you are accessing from an IP address of a site that subscribes to the service/vendor that holds the copyright, you will be able to download the text free of charge.
  • If not, you will see the record and abstract of the paper and usually offered the possibility of purchasing it.

Deposit Method

The AKU libraries are already working on populating the IR, and so far they have uploaded a significant number of articles published by the AKU community. Libraries will continue uploading the material that has already been published in national and international peer reviewed journals after securing copyright permissions.

Contributors are encouraged to deposit their published materials with eCommons@AKU through their respective AKU library. Library staff will upload the material to eCommons after copyright clearance from the publisher(s).

Material Preservation

Authors of the materials to be deposited must grant Aga Khan University Libraries the non-exclusive right to store, showcase, reproduce, disseminate, and preserve the deposited materials.

eCommons@AKU is hosted by bepress in Berkeley, California, USA

Material Withdrawal

Authors who would like to request a withdrawal of their works deposited in eCommons@AKU must contact respective AKU library.

Contact Information

Please contact the respective AKU Library if you have any questions about eCommons@AKU or to post any material on the repository:

In PAKISTAN:

Faculty of Health Science Library, Karachi:
Institute for Educational Development, Karachi (including Professional Development Centres in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral) Libraries:

In EAST AFRICA:

All AKU Libraries in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda:

In UNITED KINGDOM:

Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, London:

Overall IR Administration: