Those who don't look don't find: disciplinary considerations in repository advocacy

Purpose – By describing some of the often‐ignored aspects of repository advocacy, such as disciplinary differences and how these might affect the adoption of a particular institutional repository, this paper aims to offer practical guidance to repository managers and those responsible for open access and repository policy.Design/methodology/approach – The argument uses examples from an empirical study of 43 in‐depth interviews of academic staff in three disciplines, Chemistry, Computer Science and Sociology, at two Australian universities. The interviewees discussed their interaction with the literature as an author, a reader and a reviewer.Findings – The study finds that disciplines are markedly different from one another, in terms of their subject matter, the speed of publication, information‐seeking behaviour and social norms. These all have bearing on the likelihood a given group will adopt deposit into an institutional repository as part of their regular work practice.Practical implications – It is i...

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