New version of research management system has been installed
Technologically updated VMU research management system (VMU CRIS) platform has been installed. The updated technological platform is based on the essential achievements – it is a new user interface, implemented in the modern Angular JS platform together with Node JS, system functions REST API, workflow, new archive information unit storage object model. The updated technological platform enables better and more efficient integration both with other University information systems and with external information systems and service delivery platforms, ensures better speed, new content creation opportunities and services provided.
New technological possibilities enable the entire cycle of preparation, uploading, storage and dissemination of the University scientific output to be realized in one platform – VMU CRIS. Re-engineering of the publication database (PDB) was carried out and from 2022 the metadata of scientific output are being prepared in the VMU CRIS platform instead of the previously used library information system ALEPH. Science publications immediately after their metadata are made available to users through both PDB and the subsystem for generating PDB scientific output reports (no need to wait for synchronization). During the cataloguing process, the metadata of scientific publications can be imported from external, world-known systems, such as Clarivate Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, CrossRef (DOI), ORCID, etc., thus optimizing the process of describing scientific output. The process of submitting scientific output to the archive has also been optimized by using the possibilities of the workflow for submitting new information to the archive, refusing many previously manually performed actions and automating them. Along with CRIS software, all the basic software has also been updated: Linux, PostgreSQL DBMS, Apache Tomcat, Apache Solr, etc. Updating the base software allows better performance and greater security of information on the Internet.
In 2021 VMU CRIS accumulated over 109 thousand University publications, journal articles, studies final works, doctoral dissertations and metadata records of other documents. Publications Database (PDB) contains over 69 thousand (3.8 thousand in 2021) scientific publications, peer-reviewed journal articles, books – over 13 thousand (3.2 thousand in 2021), studies final works, doctoral dissertations (ETD) – over 21 thousand (2.6 thousand in 2021). Nearly 6.7 thousand publications about the former Aleksandras Stulginskis University and Lithuanian University of Education Sciences were transferred to the newly created collection of bibliographical records.
Each year VDU CRIS is enriched with full-text documents. Almost 35 thousand full-text documents (621 e-books, 51 e-journal archive (23 of which are currently published by VMU), over 12 thousand articles, over 21 thousand ETD and 724 other documents and 11 datasets are accumulated in this repository. 84% of these documents are accessible on the Internet, 15% on the Intranet. 71% of the publications and other records accumulated in VMU CRIS are with full-text documents or external links (over 14.6 thousand) to full-texts. The University successfully implements “Open Access Guidelines for Scientific Publications and Research Data of Vytautas Magnus University” approved in 2020, where University open access principles to be followed by researchers are set.
More than 1.5 thousand active scientist profiles have been created in VMU CRIS, almost 44% of which are filled with detailed information about their professional, scientific and pedagogical qualifications, recognition, awards, participation in organizations, guest lectures, subjects taught and other activities. The system has developed descriptions of 664 projects carried out by the University, 139 departments and 44 scientific clusters. The first research data are being collected and stored. Cross-links have been established between publications, scientists, departments, projects and other information units.
In recent years particularly rapid increase of the use and dissemination of VMU CRIS content has been observed. In 2021 VMU CRIS portal was visited by 344 thousand unique users, who made almost 1.2 million views and downloaded almost 2.3 million full-text documents.