Good practice in an institutional repository service: case study of Strathprints

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to show examples of good practice which can improve the functioning of an institutional repository (IR), arranged from the point of view of a user, author and reviewer.

Design/methodology/approach

To collect examples of good practice which can improve the functioning of an IR, the author has based on several studies where the institutional databases are used as source to analyze the research output.

Findings

Examples of good practice which can improve the functioning of an IR from different points of view. These include: (from the point of view of the user) visibility, accessibility, usability, update, navigability, quality and user satisfaction; (from the point of view of the author): political, legal aspects, security, authenticity and (from the point of view of an evaluator) it is important to provide as much information of each document as: title, author/s, institution and country of authors, abstract, document type, journal, language, type of deposit, publication year, year of deposit, subject, keywords, format, file size, citations and downloads that the document has received.

Practical implications

For researchers and experts that create, maintain and use IRs.

Originality/value

This study collects examples of good practice which can improve the functioning of an IR, arranged from different points of view: user, author and reviewer.

Citation

Bonilla‐Calero, A. (2013), "Good practice in an institutional repository service: case study of Strathprints", Library Review, Vol. 62 No. 6/7, pp. 429-436. https://doi.org/10.1108/LR-01-2013-0002