What is Smithsonian Research Online?
What research is included?
Who should participate?
I am a researcher at the Smithsonian. Where can I submit my works?
How will the information be retrieved?
Can reports by fiscal year be generated?
Who will manage the bibliography?
What is the relationship between the Research Bibliography and the Digital Repository?
Where can I get more information?
What is Smithsonian Research Online?
Smithsonian Research Online (SRO) is a program to capture the research output of Smithsonian researchers. This effort assists in measuring and communicating the magnitude, value and impact of Smithsonian research to those who have an interest including donors and other supporters; the Smithsonian and external research community; Members of Congress; grant-makers and ultimately, the general public. The SRO will provide a permanent record of the Institution’s scholarly achievement for use by Smithsonian staff as well as the broader research community and the general public.
What research is included?
SRO includes citations to scholarly articles, books, chapters, published conference papers and electronic publications as well as datasets and other scholarly outputs. Most publications are peer-reviewed scholarship but some popular materials are included. It is up to individual Smithsonian directors to determine if other types of publications generated from their staff, such as those appearing in popular or general interest magazines, etc., should be included.
Who should participate?
All Smithsonian museums, research centers, and offices whose staff produce research publications are eligible to participate. The service includes data on publications authored by Smithsonian staff (federal and trust), staff from other agencies housed in the Smithsonian and working on Smithsonian collections, and affiliates, including research associates, graduate and post-doc students, and visiting scholars among others.
I am a researcher at the Smithsonian. Where can I submit my works?
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives staff proactively capture most publication data without the need for author submissions. However, we do accept and encourage author submissions on our staff portal, which is only available while within the Smithsonian network. If you are unable to access this and would still like to contribute, please contact us.
How will the information be retrieved?
The bibliography is available through a searchable website created and managed by the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. For Smithsonian research unit directors and other interested parties, the service can generate regular reports that contribute to the broader picture of research output and activity of SI scholars. With this data collected, standardized, and maintained in one place, the data can be reused on Smithsonian departmental and individual websites. Additionally, other custom reports are available by contacting library staff. To the greatest extent possible–and taking into account copyright and intellectual property issues–the actual documents themselves may be captured and made accessible through the a repository of digital materials.
Can reports by fiscal year be generated?
While the SRO program manager recognizes the need to report metrics based on fiscal year rather than calendar year it can be difficult to do so. For many publications including books and book chapters, it is not clear in what month the item was officially released. In addition, authors and librarians are sometimes unable to determine this information. Even some journal publication dates do not define the exact month of release (e.g. Fall, 2016). Therefore it is recommended that those who require reporting based on fiscal year contact the SRO team to see if a suitable custom report can be generated.
Who will manage the bibliography?
The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives administers and manages SRO. The program manager is Alvin Hutchinson. SI unit directors or their representatives and authors may send queries and comments to him via the contact form.
What is the relationship between the Research Bibliography and the Digital Repository?
The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives also manages a Repository into which authors may deposit digital copies of their work for long-term preservation and access. The Libraries and Archives encourages contributions, which can be made as part of the process of contributing citations to the bibliography.