In partnership with the University of Cambridge, 4Science has enhanced interoperability in DSpace for a richer repository and better data quality: OpenAlex now available on DSpace!
This initiative with the collaboration of the University of Cambridge and supported by the Vietsch Foundation, aims to enrich open scholarly information and streamline research workflows.
What is it
OpenAlex is an innovative platform that offers free access to millions of scientific publications, researchers, institutions, and academic sources. The integration simplifies and speeds up the entry of publications and other entities. This ensures a repository that is always up-to-date and comprehensive. By using the existing live import features, users will be able to import items complete with metadata both from MyDSpace and through the suggestions dedicated to those accessing the platform and administrators.
The import from external sources, accessible through MyDSpace, allows for direct searching in the OpenAlex database integrates the selected results into DSpace, automatically pre-filling the submission form with the imported metadata. The entities supported by the integration are Publications, Journals, People, and Organizational Units, providing advanced and more comprehensive content management.
OpenAlex is also added in the Quality Assurance section. Thanks to the import loader suggestion process, the administrative page dedicated to the Publication Claim will suggest content to be added to the repository for administrators. Additionally, users will receive notifications upon login with suggestions on Publications, Journals, and Organizational Units that can be integrated into DSpace, helping to enrich the institutional archive.The integration improves the management of repositories, facilitating the work of researchers and institutions and ensuring higher quality and accuracy of archived metadata.
The integration is available out-of-the-box starting from version 9.0 of DSpace, released in May 2025. For users of version 8.1, it can be included via a dedicated patch, which can be downloaded from the following links: