PDF Files

There are many great reasons to use PDFs. Here are some appropriate uses of PDF files on web pages:

• Regulated forms: If your website points to forms that must be displayed in a specific way due to government regulations or other regulations, a PDF file is a great solution. You can even use Adobe Acrobat to make it easier to fill out. Plus, anyone familiar with the printed form will be instantly comfortable with the online version.
• Documents for printing: If you're providing documents that need to be printed, you can provide them as PDFs.
• Document downloads: If you have long documents that you provide on your website, using PDFs is much better than the Word document itself. Readers can't modify the PDF like they can the Word document, and you can be sure that people on various types of computers will be able to open and use them.

If your PDF does not fit into these use cases, recreate the document as a web page and ensure that the page is accessible.

Online Distribution of Full-Text Publications

Most publishers place severe restrictions on the posting of full-text articles on public websites. If you wish to provide full-text articles online or via email, we strongly recommend you consult with the University’s Scholarly Communication Librarian to verify that you have the rights to do so under your contract with the publisher. For more information, please refer to the  ScholarlyCommons website.