Frequently Asked Questions

About

Your publications

Open Access

NHMRC and ARC grants

SelectedWorks

Theses


About

What is Research Online (RO)?

Research Online is the University of Wollongong’s open access repository of research publications and the authoritative source for research outputs of staff and students. Research Online promotes UOW research to a global audience, ensuring publications are discoverable and ranked highly in Google search results.

Why is it important to ensure my publications are in Research Online?

There is evidence that open access increases the citation rates of good quality research articles: (see – doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013636). Repository systems assist in exposure and access to publications, helping researchers increase overall publication citation rates, and allowing UOW to increase its rankings and thereby obtain more funding. Increased citations can also enhance esteem and reputation measures at both an individual and institutional level. The UOW Open Access Policy [link UOW Open Access Policy to: http://www.uow.edu.au/about/policy/alphalisting/UOW167088.html] supports a green approach to open access.

When publishing, simply email a copy of your final manuscript with relevant citation details to .

NHMRC Grant recipients

The NHMRC wants to ensure the widest possible dissemination of the research supported by NHMRC funding. When there is an open access copy of an article arising from an NHMRC-funded project, the research results are more visible and more accessible. This makes it easier for other researchers to advance areas of research which have been prioritised by the NHMRC. Clinicians, patients, educators and students can also access these papers. The availability of open access copies of articles arising from NHMRC research projects ensures the NHMRC will be able to access all publications listed in Final Report Publications Supplements and this will assist with the assessment of project outcomes. Submit your grant-related publications to the Library here: .

Research Online – What’s in it for me?

See our What’s in it for me infographic.

What citations do you provide for publications in RO?

When the final manuscript of a publication is available via Research Online it allows researchers, who do not have subscription access to the journal, to read it to determine if it is useful for their work. To assist readers and authors in accessing the definitive publication, the citation for the definitive publisher’s version for each publication in Research Online will be included. This will also ensure citations are attributed to the publisher version. The DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or publisher URL will also be included to ensure users can access the definitive published content.

Which version of a publication do I need to submit to RO?

Please provide the final manuscript version (also known as the post-peer reviewed version, post print, or accepted manuscript) of your publication for inclusion in Research Online. The final manuscript is your publication after peer-review and prior to publishing. The final manuscript version does not contain any reference to the publisher, such as logos.

How do I set up an account?

To set up an account with Research Online you must be affiliated with UOW. Visit the Research Online homepage and click on My Account. Sign up to Create a new account. Please be sure to include your UOW email address. A verification email will be sent to you once your account is ready for you to access.

How do I view my download statistics (author dashboard)?

To view your download statistics within your author dashboard, click on My Account on the Research Online homepage. Login to your account. The option to access the Author Dashboard will be available under Dashboard Tools.

Your Publications

How do I submit my paper to Research Online?

The University’s Open Access Policy requires UOW authors to submit their manuscripts of publications to Research Online. To have your paper included, email it to . The Library will check copyright permissions of your publication and liaise with your regarding any formatting requirements.

What file formats can be submitted to RO?

Research Online recommends submitting your documents in one of the following file formats:

Text documents: Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx, .rtf) or Portable Document Format (.pdf)
Digital video files: high quality digital video files (.mj2, .mov)
Digital image data: JPEG or JPEG 2000 (.jpeg, .jpg)
Digital audio data: WAV (.wav)

How do I include related files, such as graphs or files in varying formats?

Research Online can make additional related files available with your publication. The name of the file will appear on the web site along with your short description of it, for eg. Appendix A. Viewers must have the necessary software to open your files; therefore standard file formats are accepted. (See What file formats can be submitted to RO?)

Where possible, items such as images, charts and tables that are referenced in the document (or otherwise are an integral part of the document) should be included directly in the article itself and not presented separately. For more information or assistance contact .

Can I submit my older papers to Research Online?

Library staff refer to a staff member’s CV for a summary of their research outputs produced at UOW and other institutions. The information contained in your CV will be entered into RIS by Library staff, and research publications from 2010 onwards will be included in Research Online. Email your CV and final manuscript copies of your publications to . (For more information see Which version of a publication do I need to submit to RO?)

I am a new staff member at UOW. How do I ensure my publications are in Research Online?

See Can I submit my older papers to Research Online?

How can I edit the record for one of my papers in Research Online?

Library staff will edit the record of your publication for you. Send details of your request to .

If I submit my conference paper to RO, will it affect my prospects for publishing the article in a journal?

Some journals stipulate that articles submitted to their journal must not have been published previously. Check the relevant journal’s website for Copyright and Author information to determine this requirement. If the publication must not have been published previously, you may submit the final manuscript of your publication to Research Online after the article has been published in the journal.

What is the difference between a publisher version and a final manuscript version of a document?

The publisher pdf usually contains the publisher imprint and the journal / conference / book heading or footer with citation information, including page numbers. The formatting is usually prominent e.g. columns, borders, highlighted headings, variable font sizes etc. The final manuscript version contains the same content but with less formatting and usually no reference to the publisher or citation. It is the version that has been subject to refereeing (where applicable) and is the author’s final copy as published. It is commonly in Word format and may consist of separate files.

Open Access

What is Open Access?

Open access is, simply, the premise that research articles should be freely, immediately and permanently available online to anyone rather than locked away in subscription journals. UOW’s Open Access Policy was launched in 2014 to promote the increased visibility and discoverability of UOW research publications through support of a Green approach to open access.

Where copyright allows, UOW aims to provide open access to research outputs of UOW staff and students, including articles accepted for publication in scholarly journals, in the University’s open access repository, Research Online.

Open access can also be achieved through placing copies of articles in a subject or discipline based repository such as PubMed or where the publisher of a journal provides free online access to the full content of the journal (eg PLoS).

See Open Access @ UOW.

What are Open Access journals?

Open access journals are scholarly journals that conduct peer review and provide free online access to the full content of their journal.

Open access publishing is delivered in two main ways:

Green open access – the journal policy allows the author to self-archive, via the institutional repository, accepted manuscripts at the completion of the publication submission process.

Gold open access – a specific fee is paid to the publisher in order to make the material available ‘free’ (open access) at the point of publication.

Researchers at the University of Wollongong are not required by the University or conditions of ARC or NHMRC grant funding to use paid open access options.

Regarding copyright permissions for my paper, can you explain what is permitted to be made available via open access in an institutional repository?

For all publications, regardless of the original funding source, to ensure that we comply fully with copyright requirements, we use authoritative guides and resources. For a definitive listing of publishers' copyright agreements and retained author rights see - http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/search.php and http://www.oaklist.qut.edu.au/.

Open access journals generally allow authors to retain copyright so peer reviewed versions of the published article may be deposited in Research Online.

Subscription based journals will generally ask authors to sign a publication agreement which transfers copyright to the publisher but also specifies which, if any, rights are retained by authors. This may include the right to deposit a version (usually the final manuscript) of the paper to an institutional repository such as Research Online. Authors should always read the conditions of a publication agreement carefully before submitting an article for peer review. Consult the SHERPA / RoMEO database above for more information on publisher policies or contact the relevant journal directly to determine the conditions of publication.

NHMRC and ARC grants

I have publications resulting from an NHMRC or ARC grant. What are the requirements for making my publications available open access in Research Online?

NHMRC policy requires the full text of all peer reviewed journal articles arising from a grant, even where the funding is only partial, to be made publicly available via an institutional repository within 12 months of the date of publication. This requirement relates to publications dating from 1 July 2012. The NHMRC also encourages researchers to deposit any further publications arising from a research grant in an open access repository.

The ARC requires any published material arising from a grant to be included in an institutional repository within 12 months of the date of publication. This relates to publications dating from 1 January 2013.

The Chief Investigator is responsible for ensuring the conditions of a grant are met irrespective of their authorship role. Publications need only be deposited in one repository however duplicate metadata (with or without the full-text) may be deposited in additional repositories at the discretion of co-authors from other institutions.

Publishers can have varying policies about which version of publications may be made available in repositories and embargo periods before a publication may be deposited in an institutional repository. Contact the library at for assistance with determining which version of your publication can be made available and embargos. If a copyright licence or agreement precludes releasing an article this must be recorded in the Final Report for the grant. Similarly, if an agreement does not allow a publication to be made available within twelve months, it needs to be made available as soon as possible after this date and this must be recorded in your Final Report. Please note that grant recipients are not required to use paid open access options offered by some publishers.

Research Online is the University of Wollongong’s institutional open access repository. You can email copies of publications for deposit in Research Online or any questions to .

When should I submit my publications to Research Online?

Publications stemming from ARC and NHMRC grants should be deposited in Research Online as soon as possible. This could be immediately upon being accepted for publication, but it must be no later than 12 months from the official date of publication. Even if there is an embargo on open access you can still provide your publication to the library and the library will ensure the publication is loaded to Research Online at the end of the embargo period.

Do I need to retain copyright of publications resulting from an NHMRC or ARC grant, for the purposes of depositing the publication in Research Online?

No, provided the journal’s copyright transfer agreement specifies that authors may deposit a peer-reviewed version (ie final manuscript or accepted manuscript) in a repository and make it openly accessible no later than 12 months after the official date of publication. It is important to read the journal agreement or licence with care.

What should I do if the journal publisher either requires an embargo period or does not allow any version of my publication to be made available open access via an institutional repository?

It is sometimes possible to vary the terms of a publication agreement through direct negotiation with a publisher. You may also wish to consider publishing in a journal of equal status and suitability which allows open access if one exists. The Academic Outreach team at the Library can help you identify suitable journals http://www.library.uow.edu.au/contact/UOW026563.html

If you have explored all options and you are still unable to release an open access copy of your publication within 12 months of publication then you should provide an explanation in the Final Report for the grant.

How do I report compliance with the NHMRC and ARC policy on the dissemination of research findings?

Any publications arising from grant or partial grant funding should be identified in the Final Report submitted for the relevant grant. When listing publications in the Final Report include the URL links to the open access copy in Research Online for each reference.

If an open access copy of a publication cannot be released within 12 months include an explanation or justification in the Final Report.

SelectedWorks

What is SelectedWorks?

SelectedWorks is a tool that enables UOW research staff to build and maintain an online profile of their professional history, achievements, expertise, and research publications.

SelectedWorks allows you to include your publications that are listed in RO within your SelectedWorks profile.

How is SelectedWorks different to Research Online?

Research Online is the definitive platform for making UOW research outputs available globally. RO is maintained and supported by UOW Library who work closely with faculties and academics to source and promote their material.

SelectedWorks is an online profile tool administered by bepress. SelectedWorks provides academics with the ability to create research and publication profiles, drawing citation and full text data from Research Online.

How do I create a SelectedWorks site?

Create a personal account on Research Online from the My Account link on the home page. After logging into this account, access your Author Dashboard. From here you can select Create a SelectedWorks site.

Follow the instructions and/or download the User Guide for assistance in creating your site.

Please note the following:

  • When choosing your URL we recommend you use the format first letter of first name and last name with no space e.g. asmith.
  • Ensure University of Wollongong is identified as your institution.
  • Draw content to your SelectedWorks site from Research Online. If your publication is not in RO, please contact .

How do I edit information in my SelectedWorks site?

From your Author Dashboard select Manage SelectedWorks. This will give you access to the edit screen of your SelectedWorks site. From here you can add a photo, text, links or put in content from the Research Online site. You can give someone else update rights for your site by selecting My Editors (e.g. Faculty Officer) when you are logged on to SelectedWorks and entering relevant names and email addresses.

Theses

How do I access a thesis which 'is in the process of being digitised'?

The Library is undertaking a project to digitise the print collection of UOW theses that are currently held in the University Archives. Each thesis is made available through Research Online as it is digitised. The message 'This thesis is in the process of being digitised' is linked to all theses in the print collection that are yet to be processed.

Clients can access print theses in person at the UOW Library. For assistance, please visit the Service Pod in the Library foyer.

If you are affiliated with another organisation or are unable to visit UOW Library in person, and wish to access a particular thesis that is currently not available full text online, please contact for information on availability of the digital version of the thesis.

My thesis is available in Research Online but I would like to restrict access to it. How do I do this?

UOW is committed to making its Higher Degree Research theses publicly available. To achieve this, UOW theses are archived online in the repository, Research Online.

When submitting a thesis, authors are given the opportunity to request restricted access to the thesis for a defined period if needed for a particular reason, for example: the whole or parts of the thesis are to be published by a commercial publisher, or the thesis contains material that is commercially sensitive.

If your thesis is already available in Research Online, you may request a restriction using the Agreement for Deposit of HDR Thesis in Digital Repository in which you will need to outline the required time (in months) and the reasons for a restriction. Forward the completed form to

I am trying to access a thesis in Research Online, but when I click the Download button, only part of the thesis is available.

In the past, large theses were divided into multiple files within RO to enable users to download them quickly. With improvements in internet access technologies, thesis files are no longer divided. Nevertheless, there are some past theses on RO that are still available as multiple files. In these instances the Download button may retrieve only a partial thesis file. Links to the full thesis will be listed as pdf files under the Download button within the thesis record.