Discoverability and metadata completeness in Sri Lankan institutional repositories: A comparative study

Abstract

Institutional Repositories (IRs) can be identified as a vital infrastructure that serve as digital platforms for the preservation and dissemination of scholarly works. IRs enhance research discoverability globally by implementing open access and search engine optimization strategies. As per the previous literature, there are 23 operational IRs in Sri Lanka, but only seven of them are included in OpenDOAR, a globally recognized directory of open access repositories. Despite the growing presence of institutional repositories (IRs) in Sri Lankan universities, their discoverability and metadata completeness remain uncertain. This study compared the metadata completeness, usability, and discoverability of university institutional repositories (IRs) in Sri Lanka using a comparative review of repositories. From 15 main university IRs, five were selected based on activity status and public availability. They were coded from A to E. The data collection was conducted in two stages. In stage one, interface analysis was conducted. In stage two metadata sampling was done, which involved sampling three items from each repository; a thesis, a research article, and a conference paper. This revealed some variations among repositories. The University C’s metadata was more complete with almost all mandatory and optional fields completed. It had a modern contemporary user interface that had the potential for presenting thumbnails of results, and results filtering mechanisms. Universities A, D and E had functional but basic layout design. University B had outdated user interfaces, lacking consistency in their metadata fields of coverage. However, all five of them lacked integration with ORCID or DOIs which limits global visibility. Also, some of the content was only partially accessible, which reflected the difficulties IRs face when maintaining open access initiative. The study recommends adopting standardized metadata practices, persistent identifiers, user-friendly interface design, and registration in indices such as OpenDOAR to enhance discoverability across the globe.