University of York Repository: White Rose Research Online
As the primary digital gateway for University of York's scholarly assets in United Kingdom, White Rose Research Online serves as the central institutional repository. In this technical handbook, we review standard deposit procedures, compliance paths for open-science mandates, and specific repository configurations optimized for EPrints users.
1. Institutional Archiving & Preservation Strategy
The institutional archive White Rose Research Online at University of York runs on the flexible EPrints repository software suite. This robust institutional repository software is integrated with external lookup services to auto-populate bibliographic fields during deposition.
The university library's digital preservation strategies at University of York are designed to prevent technological obsolescence. By encoding preservation metadata (such as PREMIS elements) and maintaining master files in uncompressed archival formats, White Rose Research Online guarantees that publications and data remain renderable in United Kingdom. This framework defines the structural difference between a simple depository vs repository model, where White Rose Research Online actively manages integrity and accessibility rather than merely serving as static storage.
Verified Institutional Impact Metrics
Based on independent indexing data from the open-science catalog OpenAlex, University of York has recorded a cumulative corpus of 101,614 publications which have received over 7,473,601 citations globally. This volume highlights the critical role of White Rose Research Online in providing open access to a massive stream of global knowledge. With an institutional h-index of 737 and a two-year mean citedness score of 2.78, submissions deposited here carry a highly visible citation trajectory.
All submissions to White Rose Research Online 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
To maximize interoperability of White Rose Research Online, University of York maps all fields to the universal Dublin Core metadata standard. Submissions from researchers in United Kingdom are parsed into the 15-field Dublin Core metadata element set and enriched with extended Dublin Core metadata terms (such as dc.rights.license and dc.relation.isVersionOf).
To ensure high discoverability of University of York's records, all deposits in White Rose Research Online 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 United Kingdom.
The repository cataloging team of White Rose Research Online maps submissions to the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) to create a standardized subject indexing framework for University of York. This deliberate thesaurus construction ensures that research themes from United Kingdom are searchable across global networks. All metadata profiles are stored in the widely supported MARC21 format to facilitate automated sharing.
| 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 | University of York Library Services | The entity making the resource accessible in United Kingdom |
| 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 White Rose Research Online, 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, White Rose Research Online 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 University of York must be deposited in White Rose Research Online with no embargo. Ensure your metadata contains correct funder acknowledgements to avoid audit flags.
