UK Research Libraries, Others Plan to Research Use of Citation Capture for Unique and Distinctive Collections in Academic Publications
We learned about this new research project via a tender that is excerpted and linked below.
From RLUK (Research Libraries UK):
Research Libraries UK, The National Archives and Jisc are delighted to be working together to commission a significant piece of research into the use and presentation of unique and distinctive collections in academic publications as recorded through citations.
Unique and distinctive collections (UDCs) is a term used to encompass the very varied collections held by archives, special collections, libraries and museums throughout the UK and further afield. UDCs are held throughout the archive, library and wider heritage sectors, whether in county record offices and publically funded archives, university archives and special collections, businesses, and national libraries and archives. They are also held within museums and a broader range of heritage and cultural organisations.
Citation Capture aims to furnish the archivist, special collections librarian, and information professional with a better understanding of how academics cite UDC repositories, the nature and volume of the published outputs produced based on UDC research, and how (and what) UDC material is referenced within these. The continued development of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) places a premium on original and high-visibility research by academics, whereas there is a need for more robust measurements of user engagement and output from within the archives, library, and information sectors.
This first phase of Citation Capture will establish current academic practice in the citation of UDC repositories and the possibilities of introducing greater standardisation in citation practice. As leaders in their respective fields, Research Libraries UK, The National Archives, and Jisc are well positioned to undertake this work.
[Clip]Objectives
- The project will seek to test the viability of establishing a national UDC referencing system. The project will achieve this through quantitative and qualitative research methodologies:
- A detailed picture of current practices around citation style in the wider archive sector
- Investigation into the possibilities of creating a nationally consistent system of referencing archival repositories and a plan for doing the same.
Read the Complete Tender Document
Filed under: Academic Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, Libraries, National Libraries, News, Open Access

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.