ETH Zurich Repository: Research Collection
To ensure immediate accessibility and global dissemination, researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland are encouraged to leverage Research Collection, a dedicated institutional repository designed for archiving digital scholarly works. Below, we outline how to align your deposit submissions with the structural requirements of DSpace systems.
1. Institutional Archiving & Preservation Strategy
The technical architecture of Research Collection relies on the DSpace repository engine, configured to host and index peer-reviewed articles and research data for ETH Zurich. This industry-standard institutional repository software streamlines indexing in Google Scholar and OpenAIRE.
Managing digital materials over decades requires active digital preservation strategies at ETH Zurich to counteract media degradation and format shifts. Library archives at Research Collection embed rich preservation metadata (including bitstream characteristics and checksums) into every catalog record. Understanding the difference between a depository vs repository model is key; our system at Research Collection does not just archive files but actively maintains their accessibility over time in Switzerland.
Verified Institutional Impact Metrics
Based on independent indexing data from the open-science catalog OpenAlex, ETH Zurich has recorded a cumulative corpus of 245,153 publications which have received over 26,691,798 citations globally. This volume highlights the critical role of Research Collection in providing open access to a massive stream of global knowledge. With an institutional h-index of 1162 and a two-year mean citedness score of 3.50, submissions deposited here carry a highly visible citation trajectory.
All submissions to Research Collection undergo systematic verification by the university library team. This ensures compliance with publisher embargoes, rights-retention policies, and copyright licenses (predominantly Creative Commons CC-BY or CC-BY-NC).
2. Metadata Mapping: Simple Dublin Core Alignment
Discoverability of ETH Zurich's publications relies entirely on rich metadata. Submissions to Research Collection utilize the Dublin Core metadata standard (specifically the Dublin Core metadata element set and standard Dublin Core metadata terms). This structure ensures that search engines, open-science harvesters, and citation indexes in Switzerland can crawl, parse, and cite your work accurately.
To ensure high discoverability of ETH Zurich's records, all deposits in Research Collection undergo automated and manual curation. Utilizing a specialized metadata cleaner and a metadata scrubber during ingestion, library archivists resolve formatting errors, normalize author lists, and standardize persistent identifiers (PIDs). This active metadata repository curation prevents metadata degradation in Switzerland.
Subject classification at ETH Zurich's library utilizes a strict controlled vocabulary rooted in the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). By applying formal rules for thesaurus construction and entity linking inside Research Collection, the library creates a highly structured search experience in Switzerland. In addition, the catalog structures its index in the MARC21 format for immediate interoperability.
| Dublin Core Element | Preserved Value / Standard | Function & Mapping |
|---|---|---|
| dc.title | Full Article / Book Title | Main headline as registered in the publication record |
| dc.creator | Author(s) names & ORCID iD | Linked explicitly to the author's CRediT contribution roles |
| dc.publisher | ETH Zurich Library Services | The entity making the resource accessible in Switzerland |
| dc.identifier | Handles / persistent URLs | Local institutional handle mapping to OAI-PMH networks |
3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the correct protocol for co-author attribution during deposit?
When submitting to Research Collection, you must include all authors listed on the final manuscript. It is highly recommended to declare each co-author's CRediT roles in the metadata form or the publication description.
Are datasets supported alongside text papers?
Yes, Research Collection supports a wide array of file formats, including research datasets, code repositories, and supplemental documents. If your dataset is extremely large, the library services team will coordinate with your department to allocate specialized cold storage.
Repository Specs
Open-Science Mandates
In line with Plan S, the Nelson Memo, and regional mandates, all publicly funded publications produced at ETH Zurich must be deposited in Research Collection with no embargo. Ensure your metadata contains correct funder acknowledgements to avoid audit flags.
