"I finally got around to using the IRUS data for my project, which worked like a dream!"
The challenge
Dr Lara Skelly, Open Research Manager at Loughborough University, is exploring ways to identify items in their research repository that may not be among the top monthly downloads but are steadily gaining popularity and demonstrating impact. By identifying these items, Lara and the team hope to gain insights into their increasing impact potential alongside a list of the items that are already having an impact.
The solution
Lara developed a widget (a small application or program designed to facilitate access to the most used functions of a device) that generates a list of trending items in Loughborough's research repository. The widget has been programmed to retrieve data on unique downloads from IRUS over a three-month period and identifies items that are gaining attention. Repository staff can select various parameters, such as minimum total downloads, percentage increase and item type, or geographical location, to create a list of items that have experienced growth during that time.
For example, if you want to see which articles had a 100% download increase with a minimum of 30 downloads in the first 3 months of 2024, you add these limits to the parameters, and the widget creates the list of relevant articles.
Future plans
The team is gearing up for exciting enhancements to the widget, aiming to elevate its data collection capabilities and showcase impact even more effectively. With the inclusion of the geographical location data, the university intends to bolster its campaigns with the spotlighting of the far-reaching influence of its research and how the university is attracting a diverse array of both students and researchers.
The impact
The integration of IRUS statistics into this widget has expanded the team's reporting capabilities regarding item usage within their repository. Consequently, they now have a broader lens through which to analyse the impact of their research.
Visit the widget: Rising items from Loughborough University's Research Repository (shinyapps.io)
For more information contact Dr Lara Skelly (rdm@lboro.ac.uk)