GREEN OPEN ACCESS IN KENYA: A REVIEW OF THE CONTENT, POLICIES AND USAGE OF INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES

Mousaion ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 25-54
Author(s):  
Wanyenda Leonard Chilimo
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Open Access ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Research Institutions ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Current State ◽  
Theses And Dissertations

 There is scant research-based evidence on the development and adoption of open access (OA) and institutional repositories (IRs) in Africa, and in Kenya in particular. This article reports on a study that attempted to fill that gap and provide feedback on the various OA projects and advocacy work currently underway in universities and research institutions in Kenya and in other developing countries. The article presents the findings of a descriptive study that set out to evaluate the current state of IRs in Kenya. Webometric approaches and interviews with IR managers were used to collect the data for the study. The findings showed that Kenya has made some progress in adopting OA with a total of 12 IRs currently listed in the Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR) and five mandatory self-archiving policies listed in the Registry of Open Access Repositories Mandatory Archiving Policies (ROARMAP). Most of the IRs are owned by universities where theses and dissertations constitute the majority of the content type followed by journal articles. The results on the usage and impact of materials deposited in Kenyan IRs indicated that the most viewed publications in the repositories also received citations in Google Scholar, thereby signifying their impact and importance. The results also showed that there was a considerable interest in Swahili language publications among users of the repositories in Kenya.

Is grey literature really grey or a hidden glory to showcase the sleeping beauty

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumeer Gul ◽  
Tariq Ahmad Shah ◽  
Suhail Ahmad ◽  
Farzana Gulzar ◽  
Taseen Shabir
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Sleeping Beauty ◽  
Developmental Perspective ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Metadata Standards ◽  
Theses And Dissertations ◽  
Sciverse Scopus

Purpose The study aims to showcase the developmental perspective of “grey literature” and its importance to different sectors of the society. Furthermore, issues, challenges and possibilities concerned with the existence of “grey literature” have also been discoursed. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on the existing literature published in the field of “grey literature” which was identified with the aid of three leading indexing and abstracting services, Web of Science, SciVerse Scopus, and Google Scholar. Keywords like grey literature, black literature, The Grey Journal, The International Journal on Grey Literature, International Conference on Grey Literature, non-conventional literature, semi-published literature, System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe (SIGLE), European Association for the Exploitation of Grey Literature (EAGLE), white literature, white papers, theses and dissertations, GreyNet, grey literature-electronic media, Grey market, open access, OpenNet, open access repositories, institutional repositories, open archives, electronic theses and dissertations, institutional libraries, scholarly communication, access to knowledge, metadata standards for grey literature, metadata heterogeneity, disciplinary grey literature, etc. were searched in the select databases. Simple as well as advanced search feature of the databases were made use of. Moreover, for more recent and updated information on the topic, the “citing articles” feature of the databases was also used. The “citing articles” were consulted on the basis of their relevance with the subject content. Findings The study helps to understand the definitive framework and developmental perspective of “grey literature”. “Grey Literature” has emerged as a promising content for enhancing the visibility of the ideas that were earlier unexplored and least made use of “Grey literature” has also overcome the problems and issues with its existence and adoption. Technology has played a catalytic role in eradicating the issues and problems pertinent to the “grey literature” to a greater extent. Research limitations/implications The study is based on the published literature that is indexed by only three databases, i.e. Web of Science, SciVerse Scopus and Google Scholar. Furthermore, some limited aspects of “grey literature” have been covered. Practical implications The study will be of great help to various stakeholders and policymakers to showcase the value and importance of “grey literature” for better access and exploitation. It will also be of importance to those interested to know how the literature tagged as grey changed with the passing time and how it through its unseen characteristics has evolved as an important source of information at par with the “white literature”. Originality/value The study tries to provide a demarcated and segregated outlook of the “grey literature”. It also focuses on various issues, problems and possibilities pertinent to the adoption and existence of “grey literature”.

The open access landscape in Zimbabwe: the case of university libraries in ZULC

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lovemore Kusekwa ◽  
Aston Mushowani
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
General Picture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Current State ◽  
Qualitative Research Methodology ◽  
The Status ◽  
Access Policies

Purpose – The paper aims to focus on the current state of open access (OA) initiatives in Zimbabwean universities. The paper specifically reports the initiatives at Zimbabwean universities regarding institutional repositories that promote OA and other digital OA collections. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research methodology was adopted. Questionnaires were used as the primary data collection method for this research. The research sought to address the following specific areas: the state of institutional repositories and open access in Zimbabwe, the discoverability of content, open access policies and mandates, the benefits of open access in Zimbabwe, and future plans for institutional OA. A total of eight out of 12 universities responded to the questionnaire. The data provided by the universities involved in the research were summarised to give a general picture of the open access landscape in Zimbabwe. Findings – The current initiatives in the universities involved in this survey indicate that most universities in Zimbabwe are going to have institutional repositories that promote open access to information. Most institutions in Zimbabwe are already working on putting open access policies in place in a bid to promote open access. Originality/value – The research will shed more light on the status quo of open access initiatives in Zimbabwe, particularly with regards to institutional repositories, open access policies and open access mandates.

What open access research can do for Wikipedia

First Monday ◽  
2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Willinsky
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Educational Quality ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Current State

This study examines the degree to which Wikipedia entries cite or reference research and scholarship, and whether that research and scholarship is generally available to readers. Working on the assumption that where Wikipedia provides links to research and scholarship that readers can readily consult, it increases the authority, reliability, and educational quality of this popular encyclopedia, this study examines Wikipedia’s use of open access research and scholarship, that is, peer-reviewed journal articles that have been made freely available online. This study demonstrates among a sample of 100 Wikipedia entries, which included 168 sources or references, only two percent of the entries provided links to open access research and scholarship. However, it proved possible to locate, using Google Scholar and other search engines, relevant examples of open access work for 60 percent of a sub-set of 20 Wikipedia entries. The results suggest that much more can be done to enrich and enhance this encyclopedia’s representation of the current state of knowledge. To assist in this process, the study provides a guide to help Wikipedia contributors locate and utilize open access research and scholarship in creating and editing encyclopedia entries.

Acceptance and adoption of open access publishing by researchers in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 148-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Nazim ◽  
Sana Zia
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
English Language ◽  
The Self ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Open Access Publishing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Institutes Of Technology ◽  
Research Outcome

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the level of open access (OA) adoption by researchers in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), identify predictors of OA status (OA vs non-OA) and explore the availability of OA versions of the articles and venues used by the researches for hosting of their articles.Design/methodology/approachArticles contributed by the researchers in IITs were searched using an advance search option in the Web of Science Core collection database. The search was restricted to journal articles published in English language in the year 2015. Of the 10,049 articles retrieved, 1,023 (10 per cent of the total) were chosen randomly. Articles selected after randomizations were exported to MS Excel for further analyses. Title of each article was searched in Google Scholar to assess its OA availability and venues used by the author for self-archiving. Details of ten articles could not be traced in Google Scholar, and they were excluded from the analysis. Based on the analysis of URLs, all OA articles were classified into three categories: gold OA, green OA and both gold and green OA. The OA articles available through green route were further classified into six categories based on the analysis of the websites and the self-archiving venues used by the authors: institutional repository, subject repository, researcher or scholar’s website, organizational website, ResearchGate and other websites.FindingsOf 1,013 articles examined, OA versions were found for 68.70 per cent of articles. Of the total OA articles, 10.26 per cent articles were available through gold OA and 58.44 per cent were available through green OA, while remaining 6.21 per cent were available via both gold and green OA routes. Although researchers use different venues for self-archiving their articles, ResearchGate and institutional repositories are the most preferred choices by the researchers in IITs. Researchers in IITs are seemed to be unaware of the self-archiving policies of publishers, as more than 85 per cent self-archived articles were found as final PDF versions that are normally not allowed by the publishers.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to IITs, but it offers theoretical implications for extending its scope to different subjects and institutes. The findings of the study may be useful for the publishers and institutions for formulating OA policies. The findings of the study might be used for raising awareness of OA among researchers and encouraging them to contribute their research outcome in OA outlets.Originality/valueThis is the first study in India focusing on the availability of OA research.

scholarly journals Religious Studies Scholarship is Not Widely Available via Open Access, but Some Authors Share Their Work through Institutional Repositories or Social Networking Sites

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 102-104
Author(s):  
Elaine Sullo
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Current State ◽  
Online Databases

A Review of: Avery, J. M. (2018). The open access availability of articles from highly ranked religious studies journals: A study of ten journals. Theological Librarianship, 11(1), 12-17. Retrieved from https://theolib.atla.com/theolib/index Abstract Objective – To examine the current state of open access scholarship among the most highly rated religious studies journals. Design – Quantitative analysis. Setting – Research articles published in 2014, in the ten most highly rated religious studies journals. Subjects – 377 peer-reviewed articles. Methods – Using the SCImago Journal & Country Rank, the researcher identified the top ten most cited religious studies journals from mid-2015. Articles published in these journals during 2014 were evaluated. The researcher identified 377 research articles through online databases and journal websites. The researcher then used both Google and Google Scholar to search for these articles using titles and authors. If the article was not found, other search strategies were employed, such as the use of additional search terms, limits, and quotes, as well as other search engines. Main Results – Open access (OA) versions were found for 132 of the 377 articles (35%), and the percent of OA articles by journal ranged from 5% to 100%. The researcher found 70 OA articles in institutional repositories (53%), 70 in Academia.edu or ResearchGate.net (53%), 19 from organizational websites (14.4%), 13 on personal websites (9.8%), and 4 on other sites (3%). The researcher found 44 articles in more than one location (33.3%). Of the 132 OA articles found, 87 (65.9%) were found by both Google and Google Scholar, and 43 (32.6%) articles were found by either Google or Google Scholar, but not both.    Conclusion – Overall, the research results reveal that finding OA content can be done via Google and Google Scholar. While articles in religious studies journals are not typically accessible through OA, authors who tend to publish in these journals who support OA may use institutional repositories or social networking sites to make their work available.

Theses and dissertations in institutional repositories: an Asian perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 115 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 438-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aquil Ahmed ◽  
Sulaiman Alreyaee ◽  
Azizur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Theses And Dissertations

Purpose – Institutional repositories constitute an integral part of present day digital libraries allowing global access to scholarly publications and provides an opportunity for future research enhancement and long term preservation of information. Electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) represent a growing segment of available content in institutional repositories where they contribute to the impact and ranking of their institutions. The present study traces the growth and development of online e-theses repositories in Asia within the broader framework of open access. Design/methodology/approach – The present study tries to discover the composition of ETD repositories in Asia based on the seven key parameters, i.e. country, types, language, disciplines, software, content types and repository policies. To achieve the stated objectives, the ETD repositories developed by Asian countries were identified by selecting the database of OpenDOAR (Directory of Open Access Repositories) and the retrieved data were thoroughly analyzed for the necessary information. Findings – Theses and dissertations are considered an important part of information resources in any institution. They are often the only source of research work. Unfortunately, access to these valuable unpublished resources is often restricted to parent institution only. The authors found that ETD repositories are addressing this problem by making institutional knowledge available online and thereby not only increasing its visibility and use, but also making them contribute to the impact and ranking of their institutions. Asian countries are beginning to embrace the idea of digitizing, archiving and making their theses and dissertations available online. The study found that more than half of all IRs listed in the directory of OpenDOAR contain ETDs. ETD system is growing fast in some Asian countries. However, the number of universities having e-theses repositories is meager considering the large number of quality academic and research institutions across Asian countries. Practical implications – The paper argues that ETD repositories not only benefit students and institutions by enhancing education and expanding research, but also by increasing a university’s visibility and use and thereby contributing to the impact and ranking of its parent institutions. Originality/value – The study hopes to heighten awareness of research being conducted in Asia and its contribution to a global knowledge base. Some of the suggestions to improve the existing conditions and strengthen the growth rate of ETDs in Asia are also presented.

Scholarly communication in the digital environment

2005 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 481-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Rowlands ◽  
David Nicholas
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Scholarly Communication ◽  
Open Access Publishing ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
Disciplinary Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Journal Publishing ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Regional Location

PurposeThis paper aims to make a substantial contribution to the ongoing debate about the potential of open access publishing and institutional repositories to reform the scholarly communication system. It presents the views of senior authors on these issues and contextualises them within the broader framework of their journal publishing behaviour and preferences.Design/methodology/approachA highly representative online opinion survey of more than five and half thousand journals authors, building on an earlier (January 2004) benchmarking study carried out by CIBER.FindingsSenior researchers are rapidly becoming more informed about open access publishing and institutional repositories but are still a long way off reaching a consensus on the likelihood that these new models will challenge the existing order, nor are they in agreement whether this would be a positive or a negative development. Disciplinary culture and, to a less extent, regional location are key determinants of author attitudes and any policy response should avoid “one‐size‐fits‐all” solutions.Research limitations/implicationsThis survey reflects the opinions of senior corresponding authors who have recently published in a “top” (i.e. ISI‐indexed journal) with 95 per cent confidence. The findings should not be generalised to represent the views of all authors in all journals, open access or otherwise.Originality/valueThe journal publishing sector is facing enormous challenges and opportunities as content increasingly migrates to the web. The value of this research is that it provides an objective, non‐partisan, assessment of the attitudes and opinions of more than 5,000 senior researchers, a key stakeholder group, and thus contributes both to the development of public policy as well as more realistic commercial strategies.

The extent of building and managing local contents in institutional repositories: a survey of tertiary institution libraries in Nigeria

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Godwin Oberhiri-Orumah ◽  
Ebikabowei Ebikabowei Baro
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Site Investigation ◽  
Original Material ◽  
Colleges Of Education ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Investigation Methods

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the development of institutional repositories (IR) in tertiary institution libraries in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a survey research method. Online questionnaire and IR site investigation methods were used to collect data from 25 university libraries in Nigeria. Findings The study revealed that only 25 (14.7%) universities out of the 170 universities in Nigeria have successfully developed IRs and registered their presence in OpenDOAR. Other tertiary institutions such as Polytechnics and Colleges of Education investigated in Nigeria are yet to develop IRs. Contents such as theses and dissertations, conference proceedings and journal articles ranked highest being the most popular contents in the various IRs. The results showed that the development of IR saves space in the library, increases readership, increases access to local contents, minimizes damage to the original material, facilitates the dissemination of scholarly research and assists in globalization of Nigerian research findings. The IRs site investigation revealed that only few IRs have clearly defined access policy, content policy, submission policy and digital preservation policy. The study identified challenges such as inadequate facilities, unstable internet connectivity, lack of fund, irregular power supply, challenge of collecting materials for the IR, lack of skilled ICT personnel, copyright issues and absence of IR policies. Practical implications The results from the study will provide important data and insight into the development of institutional repositories in tertiary institution libraries in Nigeria, and generate suggestions for University Librarians, College Librarians, Polytechnic Librarians, tertiary institutions management and policy makers for developing institutional repositories in Nigeria and other developing countries. Originality/value The study investigated IR development in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The findings will inform other tertiary institutions in developing countries that the development of IR provides an opportunity for the visibility of local contents emanating from institutions and make them see the reason to embrace this laudable development.

Institutional Repositories in Africa

2019 ◽  
pp. 155-173
Author(s):  
Felicia O. Yusuf ◽  
Goodluck Ifijeh ◽  
Sola Owolabi
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Research Institutions ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Technology Infrastructure ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
Information And Communication

The emergence of open access has opened a world of opportunities for academic and research institutions. One of such opportunities is the establishment of institutional repositories (IRs). This chapter examined the emergence and creation of IRs and trends in Africa. It noted that the development of IRs in most African countries is still at the infancy stage. The chapter highlighted the important role of libraries in the management of IRs. The Chapter also identified and discussed important issues and challenges of IRs in Africa. The identified challenges include lack of awareness, lack of required funding to establish and manage IRs, lack of Information and communication technology infrastructure, among others. It concluded that the establishment of IRs is a compulsory venture for institutions of higher learning in Africa.

Identifying halal logistics constraints in Brunei Darussalam

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Syazwan Ab Talib
Keyword(s):  
Inductive Reasoning ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Theory Of Constraints ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Academic Journal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brunei Darussalam ◽  
Current State ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Internal And External Factors

Purpose Despite the thriving global halal industry and logistics’ vital role in the halal supply chain, knowledge and research on halal logistics remain limited, particularly in Brunei Darussalam. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to understand the current state of knowledge by identifying the halal logistics constraints in Brunei Darussalam. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses the theory of constraints, inductive reasoning and support from a review of relevant academic journal articles, to uncover the hindering factors surrounding halal logistics in the country. Findings The paper identifies five critical issues, which occur from internal and external factors, that constraint the growth of halal logistics in Brunei Darussalam. Research limitations/implications The qualitative design limits this conceptual piece. However, the paper could be beneficial in informing the academic and industry circles of the potentials and challenges in Brunei Darussalam, particularly in its logistics sector. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate halal logistics in Brunei. The study positively contributes to the understanding of the halal logistics constraints in Brunei as well as adds to the growing body of halal logistics literature and enriching the halal research sphere.

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