Victoria University Library - VU Institutional Repository (VUIR)

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VUIR Policy
Last updated: 19 October, 2012.

Index
General Information
What is VUIR? What is the difference between a "pre-print" and a "post-print"? Who can I contact with queries? What about the copyright? What are the benefits of depositing my papers in VUIR? What if my paper is already freely available on another website? Will my papers be found via Google? Can I search across a number of institutional repositories with one search? Why submit to VUIR? Can a researcher upload older papers to VUIR? Is there any quality control of VUIR? Where can I find the VUIR policy? What is "ADT"? What is an Author? Who can submit material?
Depositing to VUIR
What if I don't have an electronic copy of the document? Are any types of papers unsuitable for VUIR? What types of papers will be accepted? What document formats are acceptable? What if my paper is not referred? How do I deposit my papers in VUIR? Can I deposit my co-authored papers with colleagues from other universities/institutions in VUIR?
General Information
1. What is VUIR?
VUIR (Victoria University Institutional Repository) is an open access deposit collection of papers that showcases the research and scholarly outputs from VU staff and higher degree research students.
2. What is the difference between a "pre-print" and a "post-print"?
VUIR policy characterizes pre-prints as being the version of the paper before peer-review and post-prints as being the version of the paper after peer-review, with revision having been made. This means that in terms of content, post-prints are the articles as published. However, in terms of appearance this might not be the same as the published article, as publishers often reserve for themselves their own arrangement of type-setting and formatting. Typically, this means that the author cannot use the publisher-generated .pdf, but must make their own .pdf version for submission to a repository. For more information on this particular definition of "preprint" and "postprint" visit Sherpa/Romeo. Sherpa/Romeo is a project that collects information from publisher's regarding their policies in relation to open access repositories. In order to maintain consistency, VU uses the definition of "postprint" and "preprint" as described by Sherpa.
3. Who can I contact with queries?
The online "Help form" allows you to fill out a request for help or see the Contacts page for more information
4. What about copyright?
See the Copyright & VUIR page
5. What are the benefits of depositing my papers in VUIR?
Increase in impact of VU research output Raising of profile and prestige of the University Management of assets in a secure and stable environment with ease of access Ensuring the results of research supported by public funds are made accessible Contributes to the creation of a community of scholarly interests so that potential collaborators are linked
6. What if my paper is already freely available on another website?
There is no need to remove your paper from the website where it may already be available. By depositing a copy of your paper in VUIR, you will be creating an additional access point for your paper. If you wish, you can insert a link to the current website in the deposited item by entering the URL in the "Official URL" field.
7. Will my papers be found by Google?
Yes. Material in OAI (Open Access Initiative) compliant repositories can be found by Google. VUIR is OAI compliant so deposited items should be retrievable via Google.
8. Can I search across a number of institutional repositories with one search?
Yes. Most repositories have adopted a common set of standards for describing their metadata. This means that they can be cross searched. There are a number of search engines which can cross search multiple repositories including: Google Scholar OAIster ARROW Discovery Service
9. Why submit to VUIR?
Submission to the VUIR enables researchers to meet recommendations of funding bodies, including ARC and NHMRC, to deposit research publications in an institutional or subject-based repository. Researcher depositing items to VUIR can also track and review the number of times their papers are viewed and downloaded. The statistics are updated daily.
10. Can a researcher upload older papers to VUIR?
Yes. All current VU staff and higher degree research candidates may upload their complete set of publications, regardless of where they were working at the time of publication of their papers.
11. Is there any quality control of VUIR?
Yes. All submissions will be assessed for compliance with VUIR policy before they are made publicly available. Depositors can expect a delay between submission and publication in VUIR. The Library ensures the metadata of submissions meets with established metadata standards in VUIR.
12. Where can I find the VUIR policy?
The VUIR policy can be accessed via the VU Governance Policy and Planning Services website http://www.vu.edu.au/about-vu/governance or directly at http://wcf.vu.edu.au/GovernancePolicy/PDF/POI041116000.PDF.
13. What is "ADT"?
Australasian Digital Theses (ADT): is a distributed database of digital versions of theses by postgraduate research students at Australian Universities.
14. What is an Author?
The creator of an original work.
15. Who can submit material?
See the Who Can Submit Material section in the Guidelines page.
Depositing to VUIR
1. What if I don't have an electronic copy of the document?
It may be possible to scan a printed copy. It may be necessary to contact the publisher for permission before this is done. Contact the VU Research Librarian to discuss.
2. Are any types of papers unsuitable for VUIR?
Yes, the following materials are excluded: Material which contains confidential information, or of which the promulgation would infringe a legal commitment by the University and/or the author should not be included in the repository. In this category is third party confidential information such as commercial-in-confidence reports as well as the University's confidential information such as information which may be the subject of a new patent application. [Note that once a patent application has been filed then publication of the content does not affect it.] Unedited/unreviewed personal opinion outputs Book reviews Non-educational/not-scholarly outputs Textbooks and teaching materials Material to which granting unrestricted access would compromise ethical considerations, including those relating to cultural sensitivities Theses, other than PhD and Masters by Research, except by special request of Head of School Unrefereed draft papers or draft versions of papers released for discussion Administrative documents and records, including those associated with research projects Raw research data
3. What types of papers will be accepted?
Refereed scholarly and research articles and contributions by current VU staff and students at the post-print stage (subject to any necessary agreement with the publisher) Refereed scholarly and research literature by current VU staff and students at the pre-print stage (with corrigenda added subsequently if necessary at the discretion of the author) PhD and Masters by Research degree theses by VU students University related research material such as books, working papers, discussion papers, government submissions, reports and inaugural professorial lectures
4. What document formats are acceptable?
PDF is the preferred format. The following formats can also be submitted: HTML Postscript MS Powerpoint MS Word Image JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF Video MPEG, QuickTime, AVI
5. What if my paper is not referred?
Deposit paper for the VUIR must meet the requirements of the VUIR policy as defined in the section 5.0 Policy. In the event of a dispute regarding VU's right to make material accessible via the repository, the Library reserves the right to deny access to or remove the material from VUIR until the matter is resolved to the University's satisfaction.
6. How do I deposit my papers in VUIR?
See the Submission section in the Guidelines page.
7. Can I deposit my co-authored papers with colleagues from other universities/institutions in VUIR?
Yes, all we ask is that one or more authors are from the Victoria University.