Institutional repositories (IRs) are digital collections that capture and preserve the intellectual output of a single or multi-university community. Their aim is to provide access to scholarly material without the economic barriers that currently exist in scholarly publishing. If successful, IRs hold the promise of being very advantageous to researchers everywhere, especially those in the developing world.
PurposeTo report the results of the 2005 CARL survey of institutional repositories (IRs) and discuss some of the challenges of implementing IRs in Canada.Design/methodology/approachThis takes the form of a survey questionnaire.FindingsThere are a number of important issues confronting implementers of institutional repositories. Most of these issues are not insurmountable,but, to be properly addressed will require collaboration amongst implementers and resources.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings issues identified through the survey contribute to the workplan of the CARL Institutional Repositories Project.Originality/valueThe paper presents an up to date account of the state of institutional repositories in Canada.
Preprints catalyze rapid and open communication of research. A frequent criticism of preprints, however, is their lack of peer review. In recent years, myriad new initiatives have enabled review of preprinted research to be coordinated, collected, and displayed alongside preprints. This provides evaluation and context for readers, as well as feedback for the authors. The processes behind preprint review are diverse and may differ from journal peer review, which can be a challenge for readers seeking to compare and interpret the reviews. To address this, the ASAPbio organized a working group that set out to define key features of preprint review processes. Here, we describe Preprint Review Features (PReF) as descriptors and provide an implementation guide. PReF captures the key elements of preprint review processes using 8 standard key-value pairs. PReF can serve within the descriptions of individual preprint review processes, and act as search filters on indexing services. Widespread adoption of PReF will promote understanding and categorization of preprint review and improve its discoverability.
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