The framework details the core services and resources available from ACU Library in support of Higher Degree by Research students, Researchers, schools and institutes.
Download the Research Services Framework (DOC, 606KB)
- Preamble
- Beginning your research
- Conducting your research
- Publish your research and data
- Promote and communicate
- Measuring your research achievements
- Training and support
1. Preamble
ACU Library is committed to providing a quality service as seen through the Library’s Mission and Values Statement:
The Library's mission is to enable and enrich the teaching, learning and research endeavours of the University by delivering flexible access to extensive and relevant information resources and by providing quality services and facilities.1
ACU Library aligns its research services to the strategic aims of the University in delivering research excellence and, importantly supports ACU’s ERA rounds by ensuring outputs nominated for peer review are available to Australian Research Council assessors.
The purpose of the ACU Library Research Services Framework is to articulate the core service offerings in support of:
- Higher Degree by Research students throughout their candidature and support their learning.
- Researchers and their schools and institutes throughout the research lifecycle at their point of need, in consultation with the DVCRE portfolio.
The library supports research and researchers at ACU by providing a suite of services and resources including:
- expert advice from librarians
- online information and training
- quality resources to support further research discovery
- management of research output through ACU Research Bank the institutional repository.
This framework will be reviewed annually to ensure its relevance to ACU’s strategic priorities and the requirements of stakeholders.
2. Beginning your research
2.1. Orientation of new research staff and HDR students
ACU Library will provide a tailored induction session to new academic staff and HDR students at the commencement of their employment or candidature.
These sessions are aimed to introduce the staff member or student to their key contacts in the library, to promote information sessions and to identify the key services to assist their research projects.
2.2. Resource provision
ACU Library will source research materials in accordance with the collection development guidelines. ACU Library will also provide access to research platforms such as Scopus, SciVal and Web of Science including InCites.
2.3. Reference management support
ACU Library provides training, access and support to EndNote. ACU Library also provides access to Mendeley and Zotero.
2.4. Systematic reviews
ACU Library offers a tiered level of service for staff and students undertaking systematic and scoping reviews via:
- Providing guidance throughout the research lifecycle of a systematic review in the form of tailored consultations on search strategies and structured database searching in alignment with search support for systematic reviews.
2.5. Literature reviews
ACU Library provides advice in literature reviews via:
- exploration of theoretical frameworks for your research topic
- tailored consultations for methodical searching for literature reviews
- training for advanced searching techniques for literature reviews.
2.6. Seeking funding for research
ACU Library can provide evidence of research performance which can be used in grant application submissions. ACU Library can also advise in meeting mandates for successful grant applications, such as Data Management Plans and Open Access Mandates.
3. Conducting your research
3.1. Research data management
ACU Library will provide an advisory service on:
- data storage options available at ACU for your data storage requirements
- completing your Research Data Management Plan and your Data Management component of your Ethics application
- making your research data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR)
- providing specific advice on how to best manage your data during and after project completion e.g. Using appropriate file formats, archiving data, de-identifying sensitive data and sharing data.
ACU Library provides online support through our Research data management toolkit and regular presentations to researchers and students.
3.2. Data visualisation and data mining
ACU Library will provide access to research tools to support data visualisation and text and data mining in the Digital Humanities.
4. Publish your research and data
4.1. Open access
ACU Library actively promotes open access pathways for your research including:
- Read and publish agreements available for ACU researchers and PhD students.
- Advising you on submitting your accepted manuscript to Research Bank.
- Informing you of Open and/or Creative Commons licence options to ensure that your work is fully open.
- Making your Thesis discoverable in Research Bank.
- Making your research data open (in line with “FAIR” principles) in Research Bank.
4.2. Publishing your research
ACU Library staff can advise on:
- models of publication
- journal selection
- providing a DOI allocation service for datasets and theses to assist in the discoverability of ACU research
- publishing Agreements including sharing, re-using data and embargo periods.
4.3. Copyright and intellectual property
ACU Library’s Copyright Office will provide expert advice on:
- Open and/or Creative Commons licences on research publications.
- Protecting the intellectual property of your research.
- Working with copyrighted material as part of HDR students’ candidature and thesis presentation.
- Your rights under copyright.
- Publishing Agreements including sharing, re-using data and embargo periods.
ACU Library conducts regular sessions to researchers and HDR students on copyright.
5. Promote and communicate
ACU Library can advise researchers on:
- Creating and maintaining Author profiles, i.e. ORCID, Scopus ID, WoS/Publons, Google Scholar ID which can be linked to your research activities.
- Strategies for using social media platforms to promote and disseminate research outputs.
6. Measuring your research achievements
ACU Library’s Impact Service supports researchers who are required to provide evidence of research performance for grant applications and other purposes.
Our librarians can:
- Demonstrate how to use citation databases, benchmarking tools and alternative metrics platforms through consultations and training.
- Provide journal metrics information to support journal selection.
- Prepare tailored impact reports for researchers, research groups, institutes, or schools upon request.
7. Training and support
7.1. Research Essentials
ACU Library provides regular sessions on Endnote, publishing, data management and searching techniques aimed at HDR students and Researchers through the Research Essentials Series.
7.2. Consultations/Book a librarian
Researchers and HDR students can request consultations via book a librarian.
7.3. Communicating with you
ACU Library communicate updates to library services, resources, training and events through various channels such as the library website, Staff Bulletin and Twitter.
