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TARA: Trinity's Access to Research Archive

A guide to Trinity's institutional Open Access repository

Open Access

Uploading your paper to TARA is the easiest way to make your work available in an Open Access format, which can be easily discovered through Google and Google Scholar.

Having your work in TARA increases the visibility and impact of your work. Studies have shown that Open Access publications receive more citations than those published only in traditional journals.

This citation advantage is even more prominent in papers which are published through 'Green' Open Access (i.e. published in a repository like TARA). One study found that:

  • On average, open access papers produce a 50% higher research impact than strictly paywalled papers.
  • Having a green copy of a paper is the most impactful research communication strategy overall and the best strategy in 19 fields out of 22.

Uploading your paper to TARA is completely free, quick and easy to do through your RSS profile, and doing so could greatly increase the visibility and impact of your research.

TCD Open Access Policy

Trinity's Open Access Policy states that all staff and research students must deposit their Accepted Manuscript into TARA immediately on acceptance for publication.

Read the full policy here

Funder Requirements

A number of research funders have rules in place which make deposit in an Open Access repository a requirement of any grant:

  • Science Foundation Ireland's Open Access Policy specifies that deposit in an institutional repository satisfies their requirement to make publications immediately available in an Open Access format.
  • The Irish Research Council's policy states that authors should deposit post-prints (Accepted Manuscripts) in an open access repository, even if the work is published in an Open Access journal.
  • All European Research Council Horizon 2020 research projects must provide open access to publications through a repository.
  • The Health Research Board's policy states that authors must deposit post-prints in an open access repository as soon as possible.

Uploading your publications to TARA will satisfy the requirements of each of these funders and more, and is often the easiest and cheapest way to meet Open Access requirements.

Storage and Preservation

TARA offers its depositors a stable archive in which to preserve their work indefinitely, while making it discoverable and accessible to all. The TARA database is backed up regularly and a number of digital preservation measures are undertaken on a regular basis by the TARA administrators to ensure that the content of TARA is not lost or damaged. When you deposit your work in TARA, you will also be given a permanent link which you can use to identify and link to your work.

By submitting your paper, you are also ensuring that the institution has a copy of your work. Libraries can't subscribe to every journal, but if your publication is in TARA it can always be openly accessible to both Trinity staff and students, and others outside the university.

Altmetric

Altmetric.com

Your publications in TARA may also feature an Altmetric badge, which summarises the attention your work has received from social media, news outlets, policy documents, and other sources.