German version

1.1 RWTH Publications

The institutional repository of RWTH Aachen University (RWTH Publications) is a central database which documents the university's research output. You can use just one interface to research, publish and document data quickly and easily and also to manage internal documents.

Both the bibliographic index and the institutional repository contribute significantly to the visibility and prominence of RWTH Aachen University. They also make the scientific achievements of its members visible at international level.

Cooperative database:

RWTH Publications is a cooperative database. It is provided and maintained by the University Library (UB) on behalf of the Rector’s Office. Technical operation of the database is guaranteed and maintained by way of cooperation between the University Library and the IT Center of RWTH Aachen University. Entries are made by university staff using online forms. The circular (A 2016-36) of 26.10.2016 "Publikationsaktivitäten RWTH Aachen University“ (only accessible from the RWTH network) points out that publications and related research data must verifiably appear within a short time at RWTH Publications.
Entries are made by the scientists themselves or by appointed publication representatives.

The editorial staff furthermore import publication data of RWTH researchers from "EVALuna Biblio Aachen", the medical information system.
Taking account of approved quality standards, the University Library looks after the formal review, final editing and the making available of the bibliographic metadata of the documents and data collections for the purposes of science, research and education on the internet. The data is freely available in the public domain.

Note: There is no annual editorial deadline. Older publications can also be entered at any time.

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1.2 Functions of RWTH Publications

1.2.1 Researching and Searching

The institutional repository of RWTH Aachen University offers free worldwide access to information on published works in text, image and audio form as well as on research data from the university's scientists. The metadata is generally available (Open Data). It may be retrieved - also automatically - by any individual, stored, reused in enriched or selected form where required and made available to third parties. It is not necessary to log in to do this. A detailed description of the search functions is described in Section 3.2 Searching.

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1.2.2 Documenting data

Members of RWTH Aachen University can enter structured bibliographic data on scientific information themselves. Functions for importing data from various data sources are available for this purpose. Alternatively, the data can be entered manually. Write access to the database is automatically granted to members of RWTH Aachen University through the authentication service of the university's Identity Management System (IdM). Details on Login can be found under 3.1 Application and usage: Login. A detailed description of how to document and enter data as well as of the various input fields can be found in section 3.3 Submit.

Your entries will be edited in accordance with international standards. Should queries arise during the library staff’s editorial review, they will contact you by e-mail or telephone.
The editorial staff will make every effort to formally review your entries and make them visible worldwide on the next working day where possible. Changes can also be made by the editorial staff at a later point, for example when de-duplicating or merging data sets.

“Relevant for RWTH Reporting” means that at least one of the persons involved has “Member” status at RWTH Aachen University. This is also the case if a document was written and submitted for publication while one of the persons involved was a member of the university but publication of the document took place after the person had left. Documents of this kind may also be entered.


The database contains bibliographic data on published scientific texts, multimedia publications and research data. These are differentiated as follows:

1.2.2.1 Scientific works in text, audio and image form

• Works by RWTH Aachen University members which have been verifiably published and are relevant to RWTH Reporting are mandatorily included.
• Verifiably published works by external persons can be optionally included as long as these are related to RWTH Aachen University. These could be, for example, publications from coordinated projects, vita publications of RWTH Aachen University members from external institutions, publications about RWTH Aachen University and documents which form part of press reviews.
• Unpublished works such as references to presentations and events or documents which are only to be used within an institute can be optionally included.

Notes on the work in question and a verified publication:

• I. Type of work:
  1. Scientific work
  2. Administrative document of the university
  3. Publication by AStA
  4. or similar
• II. The content can be in the following forms:
  1. Text
  2. Image
  3. Audio
  4. A combination of 1, 2, or 3
• III. Possible formats and data media:
  1. Paper
  2. Microfiche
  3. Microfilm
  4. Server
  5. Portable media for digitized content, including USB memory sticks, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, portable hard disks
  6. Combination of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5
• IV. Evidence of publication:

  In the case of verifiably published works, the editorial staff must be able to find evidence that a publication exists. Please make sure that the documents in question have actually been published before you enter bibliographic data. Announcements from publishers giving advance notice of a publication date do not always correspond to later publications.
  
  The basic prerequisite here is the provision of data on a citable document, as listed below.

  1. Citable document:
     • In the case of written publications: a written work, e.g. a book, journal, website
     • Identifier, e.g. URN, DOI, URL
     • In the case of presentations: documented conference articles, name/location/date of event
  2. Available in the public domain by way of
     
     1. Physical acquisition
     2. Physical loan
     3. Online access

Please note: It is irrelevant if it is necessary to pay for access to a work. The size of the document is likewise irrelevant for its inclusion in RWTH Publications.

1.2.2.2 Research data

• Verifiably published works by RWTH Aachen University members which are relevant to RWTH Reporting are mandatorily included.
• Verifiably published works by external persons can optionally be included, provided they have some connection to the RWTH Aachen University. These could be, for example, publications from coordinated projects or vita publications of RWTH Aachen University members from external institutions.

Research data designates (digital) data which is created during a research process or is the subject or result of a research process. It can exist in a variety of formats, including text, multimedia and software formats. The basic requirements for a citable data publication are:

• The research data can be referenced via a persistent identifier (e.g. DOI).
• Metadata which guarantees traceability and reusability exists in relation to the research data.
• The research data is accessible through an established research data repository which is verifiable at e.g. re3data.org.

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1.2.3 Publishing one’s own documents

RWTH Publications also serves university members for the first publication of books, conference proceedings, qualification papers, reports, preprints, research data and other works. As a repository, RWTH Publications likewise provides a platform for the secondary publication of already published works in accordance with the Open Access publication model (self-archiving). The service follows the RWTH Aachen Open Access Policy and fosters open access to scientific information which is both technically and legally barrier-free. It also increases visibility and citability through stable addressing.




Works which can be published on RWTH Publications are differentiated as follows (check above)

1.2.3.1 Scientific works in written, audio and image form

Scientific works can be published at RWTH Publications by the following persons:

• RWTH members
• external persons, provided that they have a connection to RWTH Aachen University, e.g. through publications from coordinated projects or vita publications of RWTH members




1.2.3.2 Research data

RWTH Aachen University supports free access to research data through its RWTH Aachen Research Data Management Guidelines. Research data should be made available within a short time where possible in accordance with the DFG–Leitlinien zum Forschungsdatenmanagement and following the FAIR principles ("Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-Usable"). It is recommended to give precedence to subject-specific repositories when publishing research data. The re3data register contains an overview of many data repositories. Institutional repositories such as RWTH Publications can be used to publish the research data if no suitable subject-specific repository exists.

Research data can be published at RWTH Publications by the following persons:

• RWTH members
• external persons, provided that they have a connection to RWTH Aachen University, e.g. through publications from coordinated projects or vita publications of RWTH members.

Please note that any data which you decide to publish must be usable in the long term (appropriate choice of format) and understandable (structure, designation, documentation).

There is no obligation to publish research data. Arguments against publishing data include, for example, confidentiality, secrecy, security grounds, commercial/industrial use or the protection of personal rights (data protection).

Further information can be found in the document entitled "Forschungsdaten auf RWTH Publications veröffentlichen“ and on the website Research Data Management.

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