Calcutta University to increase research quality, offers free repository access to scholars

The platform witnessed a growth of 25 per cent month-on-month impressions since its launch in April.

Calcutta University begins an institutional repository to offer paid journals to its researchers. Stating that learners should get free accessibility to knowledge, the CU vice-chancellor, Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee said, “We aim to be pioneers in Open Access Leadership in India. Knowledge should be freely accessible and not behind $30 paywalls. This institutional repository reflects our ethos of innovation and our commitment to make research knowledge accessible to the masses. We do hope that our efforts encourage other top institutes in India to be inspired for similar steps.” As per their estimates, over 84.2 per cent of the university’s publications are behind the paywall. In an official notice, the University said, “With paywalls, the readership reduces. It is estimated by the University that a whopping 54 per cent of the entire Calcutta University’s research output can be freely archived in their repository (after the embargo period, without breaching publisher copyrights).” 

The platform witnessed a growth of 25 per cent month-on-month impressions since its launch in April. This has been corroborated by an increase in publication downloads. Applied Physics, BioChemistry, and Political Sciences are attracting international reader demographics. It also attracts eyes from the industry and MNC’s. This has opened up potential collaboration avenues for Calcutta University.

Currently, Calcutta University stands at seventh position in the NIRF Ranking 2020. With more than 1100+ new publications every year published across varied disciplines, the goal is to transition to a modern research-focused organisation. Professor VC at the University, Asis Chattopadhyay, said,“In the 2019 academic calendar, our publications received 4500+ new citations in Scopus index. We are doing good at the national level. Setting up an open-access platform was the next logical step for us so that we could amplify our scholarly communication. Showcase our research to the global audience, and leave an impact. ”

Read More:

• Calcutta University Admissions 
• Calcutta University Courses & Fees