EPrints 3.2 is the latest version of the popular repository platform. This document is a brief guide to some of the most important features that an EPrint repository will offer. EPrints offers a safe, open and useful place to store, share and manage material in the pursuit of research and educational agendas (administrative reporting, collaboration, data sharing, digital profile enhancement , e-learning, e-publishing, e-research, marketing, open access, preservation, publicity, research assessment, research management and scholarly collections). An EPrints repository is a valuable part of the researcher’s information environment, directly integrating with the research desktop and offering sustainable storage and open access. It is also a competent and mature component of the institution’s information environment, providing management and curation support for core business research data and leveraging information about research outputs to inform management strategy.

1. A Distilled Guide to
EPRINTS 3.2

2. What is EPrints For?
 EPrints offers a safe, open and useful place to
store, share and manage material in the pursuit of
research and educational agendas.
administrative reporting, collaboration, data sharing, digital profile
enhancement , e-learning, e-publishing, e-research, marketing,
open access, preservation, publicity, research
assessment, research management, scholarly collections

3. Design
Aims

4. Extensible
Data
Model
Object-based Data Model
 Items stored in an EPrints repository are
objects with their own persistent URLs
 e.g. eprints, documents, files, users, projects,
institutions
managerOf
supportingProject
employeeOf
aPreviewOf
Objects have their own
extensible metadata
anEditableVersionOf
workflows, renderers
importers, exporters
and relationships with other objects

5. Flexible APIs Extending Functionality
 A variety of convenient programming interfaces
 REST API for Web applications
 EPrintsToolbox for reporting
 EPrints API for repository plugins
REST
EPrints
Repository
EPrints
API
Toolbox

6. Intelligent
Storage Cloud to Desktop
Storage
 Data can be stored on
multiple storage services
 Local disk, SAN, NAS,
Honeycomb, Cloud
 Researchers can mount
repository objects as a
networked filesystem
 Service usage and
preservation risks can be
monitored and analysed.

7. Desktop User
Support Microsoft Office
Support
 Microsoft Office “Save As…” direct repository deposit
 Catalogue of media components stored as related documents
 Embedded metadata added to the eprint record

8. Research
Reporting Usage & Impact Framework
Statistics & charts displayed for downloads,
Search results ranked by citation count citation averages, h-index etc
 Citation harvesting and analysis using data from ISI
Web of Science
and Google Scholar

9. Research
Information Research Information
Systems
 A repository needs to interoperate with
management information systems
 Create reports based on research project
activities as well as
research outputs
 EPrints will support
CERIF standard for
Current Research
Information Systems

10. An EPrints repository is
 a valuable part of the researcher’s information
environment
 directly integrating with the research desktop
 offering sustainable storage and open access
 a competent and mature component of the
institution’s information environment
 providing management and curation support for core
business research data
 leveraging information about research outputs to inform
management strategy

11. Acknowledgements
 Projects contributing v3.2 functionality
 JISC Ready for REF
 JISC KeepIt!
 JISC SWORD
 Microsoft Word+SWORD
 v3.2 currently in alpha release (May 2009).
 Public beta release expected 2009Q4