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REF compliance checker for EPrints ready to use

Jisc is pleased to announce the availability of the new REF Compliance Checker plugin for EPrints.  The purpose of the REF Compliance Checker is to smooth the process by which EPrints-using institutions can establish whether an article or conference proceeding deposited by a member of their organisation is eligible for the post-2014 REF. To do this effectively, the Compliance Checker plugin requires some metadata describing key facts such as the date of acceptance and the version type. The relevant metadata are checked against a set of logical rules that faithfully represent the requirements laid down in the Open Access policy of the UK Higher Education Funding Bodies.

In outline:

  • The REF Compliance Checker plugin for EPrints provides a straightforward means by which you can check whether an article or conference proceeding in your EPrints repository is eligible for the post-2014 REF.
  • It does this by checking relevant metadata in your repository against the Open Access policy of the UK Higher Education Funding Bodies.
  • The developers of the plugin worked closely with HEFCE to ensure that it is fit for purpose. A beta version of the plugin has been tested by a number of UK universities prior to general release in January 2016.
  • The REF Compliance Checker plugin integrates with the RIOXX2 plugin for EPrints and the Dates plugin. If you wish to benefit from the reports generated by the plugin you will need to have installed the Generic Reporting Framework.
  • Jisc funded the development of the REF Compliance Checker plugin and it is freely available to all EPrints users. You may acquire the plugin from the EPrints Bazaar and GitHub.
  • If your EPrints repository is hosted by a third party service provider, you may need to ask them to install the plugin for you since they may not permit the self-installation of plugins.

Guidance about the REF Compliance Checker plugin is available here.

Please find a link to the recording of the Jisc event “How compliant is your institution? Meeting RCUK and REF metadata and policy requirements” which was held on Tuesday 24th November.  There is a presentation which outlines how the REF compliance checker works.  (Fast forward to 02.45min). Note a screen cast of the compliance checker is being developed and will be made available shortly.

If you have any questions or comments about the plugin, please send them to Sheridan Brown.

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