Discover ChesterRep

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The University of Chester is committed to making its research openly available where legally, ethically and commercially appropriate. ChesterRep is the key portal through which outputs by University researchers are stored and disseminated.

What is ChesterRep?

ChesterRep is the University’s institutional repository. It is a place where scholarly work of the University’s researchers can be stored, preserved and made freely available to other researchers and the public. Items typically include journal articles, conference papers, book chapters and reports, but this is not an exhaustive list.  

Copyright restrictions can mean that it is not always possible to make work openly available, especially publisher-formatted versions. However, ChesterRep includes comprehensive bibliographic details about where the research has been published.

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Depositing to ChesterRep

  1. Both current and previous work can be archived and organised so that it is possible to see how your research has developed over time. This can attract potential collaborators.  
  2. Discoverability of research is increased because repository records are indexed by search engines, such as Google Scholar, making it more likely for other researchers and students to find your work.  
  3. It is a crucial step when publishing Green Open Access (OA). Please refer to the Open Access page for more information.  
  4. Long-term preservation is guaranteed, unlike Academia.edu, ResearchGate and other commercial services. Publishers are also more likely to permit self-archiving via an institutional repository (which is non-commercial) over commercial platforms.  

How to deposit work to ChesterRep

Symplectic Elements is the system used by University of Chester staff to deposit publications. Internal Elements profiles can be accessed using Single Sign On (SSO).  

When depositing an output, please supply as much information as you can. Mandatory fields (requiring completion) are clearly marked with a red asterisk on the deposit form in Elements for each output type.  

Written guidance, FAQs and step-by-step videos on how to deposit and manage publications in Elements can be found on the dedicated Symplectic Elements SharePoint site (University login required).  

If you do not have a Symplectic Elements profile, publications can still be deposited. Please contact LIS Research Support team (researchsupport.lis@chester.ac.uk) for details.