Data Gathering
Research Outputs
Bournemouth University has an institutional repository which it used as the source for its research outputs records. The repository is known as Bournemouth University Research Online (BURO). A reference area of the repository is available to the public. The repository has a variety of uses and is principally seen as a 'shop window' for the university. However, it was also very helpful in producing the information for the REF pilot.
The contents of the repository are not limited to papers and include:
- Papers
- Conference proceedings
- Moving images
- Graphics
- Computer generated art
- Sound
- Newspaper articles
- Book chapters
- Books
The repository is managed by the library but is very much an institutional project, enjoying senior management support. It is locally branded but is otherwise a standard implementation of EPrints. EPrints is an open source product and is a hosted subscription service, accessible via any standard web browser.
Populating the Repository
The repository was launched in 2006 and was initially formed from the contents of three local databases. Subsequently, academic CVs were harvested and their contents added. As a result of the RAE 2008, some additional outputs were identified and these were also added to BURO.
When a new member of academic staff arrives at the University, they are offered the option to submit their CV, have it verified via external services such as WoS and Google Scholar, and have it entered into the repository. This is a one-off offer. Staff are then expected to maintain their own records and update the repository every time they have a suitable output published. Staff and schools are periodically reminded by the Centre for Research and Enterprise that they are expected to update BURO.
The system is designed to minimise data entry; for example, when a new entry is being made, if the DOI is entered, EPrints will interrogate CrossRef and retrieve as many of the fields as it can. The same is true for other commercial sources such as PubMed, etc. The University has a policy of making the maximum amount of information available, so wherever possible a PDF of the full text of an output is held in the repository. This is dependent on copyright, etc., the practice of which varies from one journal to another. If it is not possible to make the full text available, the 'publications database' elements are entered and a link to the publisher is included.
When entering data, Bournemouth University decided that the unique identifier would be the staff email address. This allows the variations in nomenclature that are common in research outputs to be managed by tying all variations in names back to the email address.
Browsing BURO
The EPrints interface is simple but provides sophisticated search facilities. Once results have been retrieved, the user can then drill down into the detail. Where appropriate, BURO will provide a link through to a publisher's official site.
