Oxford University Research Archive

Oxford University Research Archive
Name	Oxford University Research Archive
Location	Oxford, England
Established	2007
Institution	University of Oxford
Type	Digital repository

Oxford University Research Archive. The University of Oxford established the archive to promote and preserve the research output of its academics, including Nobel laureates such as Dorothy Hodgkin and James Mirrlees. The archive is part of the UK's Jisc-funded Repository Support Project, which aims to develop and implement digital repositories across British universities, including University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. The archive is also linked to other international repositories, such as arXiv and PubMed Central, to facilitate global access to research.

Introduction

The Oxford University Research Archive is a digital repository that provides a platform for University of Oxford researchers to deposit, store, and share their research outputs, including articles, theses, and conference papers. The archive is managed by the Bodleian Libraries, which is one of the largest and oldest libraries in Europe, with a collection of over 12 million items, including Manuscripts and Rare books. The archive is also supported by the Oxford University Computing Services, which provides IT infrastructure and technical support to the University of Oxford community, including Jesus College, Oxford and Brasenose College, Oxford. The archive is part of the SHERPA network, which includes other UK repositories, such as the University of Edinburgh's Edinburgh Research Archive and the University of Manchester's Manchester eScholar.

History

The Oxford University Research Archive was established in 2007, as part of the University of Oxford's research strategy to increase the visibility and impact of its research output. The archive was developed in collaboration with the Jisc-funded Repository Support Project, which aimed to develop and implement digital repositories across British universities, including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London. The archive was launched with an initial deposit of over 1,000 research articles, including papers by Nobel laureates such as Robert Curl and Harold Kroto. The archive has since grown to include over 100,000 research outputs, including theses and conference papers from researchers at University of Oxford, University of Edinburgh, and University of Manchester.

Content and Collections

The Oxford University Research Archive contains a wide range of research outputs, including articles, theses, and conference papers from researchers at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and other British universities. The archive includes research outputs from all disciplines, including Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Economics, as well as interdisciplinary research outputs from researchers at Jesus College, Oxford and Brasenose College, Oxford. The archive also includes research outputs from collaborative research projects, such as the Human Genome Project and the Large Hadron Collider project, which involved researchers from CERN, NASA, and European Space Agency. The archive is also linked to other international repositories, such as arXiv and PubMed Central, to facilitate global access to research.

Access and Usage

The Oxford University Research Archive is an open-access repository, which means that all research outputs are available for anyone to read and download, including researchers at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and other British universities. The archive is indexed by major search engines, such as Google Scholar and Microsoft Academic, to facilitate discovery and access to research outputs. The archive also provides usage statistics and download statistics to help researchers track the impact of their research, including citation metrics and altmetrics. The archive is also integrated with other University of Oxford systems, such as the Oxford University Research Database and the Oxford University Bibliography, to provide a comprehensive view of research activity at the University of Oxford.

Preservation and Management

The Oxford University Research Archive is managed by the Bodleian Libraries, which is responsible for the digital preservation and data management of the archive. The archive is stored on secure servers at the Oxford University Computing Services, which provides IT infrastructure and technical support to the University of Oxford community, including Jesus College, Oxford and Brasenose College, Oxford. The archive is also backed up regularly to ensure the long-term preservation of research outputs, including articles, theses, and conference papers. The archive is also compliant with international standards for digital repositories, such as the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting and the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative.

Preservation and Management

The Oxford University Research Archive is also part of the Keepers Registry, which is a digital preservation registry that tracks the preservation of research outputs across multiple repositories, including arXiv and PubMed Central. The archive is also integrated with other University of Oxford systems, such as the Oxford University Research Database and the Oxford University Bibliography, to provide a comprehensive view of research activity at the University of Oxford. The archive is managed by a team of Librarians and Information technologists who are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the archive, including digital preservation, data management, and technical support.

Impact and Collaboration

The Oxford University Research Archive has had a significant impact on the research community, including researchers at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and other British universities. The archive has increased the visibility and impact of research outputs from the University of Oxford, including articles, theses, and conference papers. The archive has also facilitated collaborative research between researchers at the University of Oxford and other institutions, including CERN, NASA, and European Space Agency. The archive is also part of the SHERPA network, which includes other UK repositories, such as the University of Edinburgh's Edinburgh Research Archive and the University of Manchester's Manchester eScholar. The archive has also been recognized as a model for digital repositories in the UK and internationally, including by the Research Councils UK and the European Commission. Category:Digital libraries