Publication of Media Records

Owned by Julie Winchester
Last updated: Feb 10, 2022
4 min read

Media records can be kept private so that only users with certain roles relating to the specific media object can see them.

When media are published, the media record is visible to any individual viewing the MorphoSource site. There are two ways to publish media that determine how those media can be downloaded: Restricted Download or Open Download. Because of this, the field that controls publication status is currently named Download permission. Detailed descriptions of publication options follow. 

Possible Publication Statuses for Media in Download Permission Field

  1. Private (unpublished): No one can see or download these media unless their account has a User Role associated with that specific media that allows them to do so. Specifically, the users who can download a private media are :
    1. The data manager for that media, typically (but not always) this is the individual who uploaded the media
    2. Users who have been granted edit access to that media. This could include manager or editor members of projects or teams containing the media, or users who have specifically been granted edit access via the Share tab on the media edit page.
    3. Users who have been granted download access to that media. This could include downloader members of projects or teams containing the media, or users who have been specifically granted download access via the Share tab of the media edit page.and users who have been assigned as "downloaders" of that media.
    4. Note: Some users may be granted view access to the media. This means they will be able to see but not download the private media. To learn how to see what users have access to a given private media see How to See Who Has User Roles for a Given Media.
  2. Published with Restricted Download: When media are published this way, users who wish to download the media must specifically request access to download via selecting Request Access on the media show page. When they do this a text entry form appears and they must enter a description of their intended use and submit it. All account holders listed as Download reviewers in the Ownership and Permission section of the media page will receive an email from MorphoSource with this request AND a notification of the request in their dashboard profile on the site. Reviewers should visit the Manage Requests section of the site dashboard to adjudicate requests, where they can Approve, Deny, or Clear requests. Whenever a decision is selected, a system generated email will be sent to the requestor notifying them of the decision.
    1. Approving a request means the Requestor will have download access to the data for a set duration, decided upon the Reviewer (they will be prompted to set the "expiration date" of the access). Importantly, once granted download access, the Requestor will still be required to agree to the “terms of reuse” for the media and fill out a survey of "use intent" before their download initiates.
    2. Denying a request means that Requestor will neither be granted access or be able to request access again.  However, the Download Request Reviewer is able to go back into the system at any time and change the decision on a previous request.
    3. Clearing a request means that Requestor will not be granted access to the media, but will be able to resubmit a new request.
  3. Published with Open Download: When media are published in this way, users can download media without seeking express approval from the data manager or download reviewer. However, this does NOT mean the data are open in a CC0 or Public Domain sense, though some data on the site may be shared this way. Before any download can be initiated, the would-be downloader must first agree to the “terms of reuse” for the media and fill out a survey concerning usage intent. No one is notified when such Open Downloads occur but information on the event and the user initiating it is recorded and can be made available to the IP holders and/or Data Manager of the data.

Publication status of media files is independent of the status of Projects and Teams they may be associated with.




This figure shows how the publication statuses appear in the Download permission drop-down field on the media edit page.


This figure shows how publication statuses appear in the Download permission drop-down field on the media submission page (where new media are uploaded).