Information for Departmental Publications Staff

Publications Officers are responsible for collecting and entering publications data for their department. It is strongly suggested that publications officers begin the collection process during the year of publication, especially if academic staff and students are likely to leave the department during the year and it will difficult to obtain their signatures later.

Towards the end of each year, the Research Office runs training sessions for departmental staff who wish to have writer's access to the research publications database (ARIES). Training encompasses most aspects of the collection process, including collating the correct information for verification of publications data. Training in group sessions or one-on-one can also be held at other times of the year as the need arises. If you wish to be included in the next training session, or would like some more information, please email Margaret Richardson at the Research Office or phone on (02) 6125 7947.

The following links offer some more information about the publications collection process, as well as relevant links and proformas:

• Entering publications into the publications database (ARIES)

• HERDC Specifications (DIISR)

• Confirming the referee status of journals

• Confirming the referee status of conferences

• Finding information about book publishers

• Bylines and author affiliation

• Putting verification materials together

• Proformas

• Coding symbols and other special characters

Entering publications into the publications database (ARIES)

ARIES allows data entry for all four DIISR categories as well as a wide range of other categories which are used for internal data collection and production of annual report publications lists. The database contains online help at each stage. The User Manual contains detailed information for the entry and assessment of publications in each category.

Note that new departmental staff or staff wishing to have writer's access to RePublic must first complete a training session and apply for access to the Publications Officer.

HERDC Specifications (DIISR)

Each year, DIISR compiles a set of specifications for eligible publications. Generally, the specifications stay the same, however, there may be some adjustments from year to year. Definitions within the specifications which are most important include the definition of 'research', 'peer review', and 'commercial publisher'. The specifications also set out which publications are unlikely to qualify for the collection. This does not necessarily exclude such publications, but substantial proof must be provided that they meet all the criteria to be counted in the collection.

Click on the following link for access to the latest set of Higher Education Research Data Collection Specifications

Confirming the referee status of journals

The only journal articles accepted by DIISR for the purposes of the collection are articles which can be proven to be independently refereed or peer reviewed. The easiest tests confirming referee status for journal articles are any of the following:

• The journal is listed in the ISI Master Journal List
  All journals listed here are fully refereed journals and satisfy the DIISR criteria for peer review.
  

• The journal is indicated as 'refereed' in Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
  Any journal with the 'refereed' symbol are fully refereed journals and satisfy the DIISR criteria for peer review.
  

• The journal is listed in the DEST Register of Refereed Journals
  Any journal listed here is considered a fully refereed journal satisfying the DIISR criteria for peer review.
  

Note that all of these lists are regularly updated. However, the fact that a journal is not listed in one of these registers does not mean that it is not refereed. If you are entering a new journal in ARIES you should forward one of the following to the Publications Office:

• A statement copied from within the journal indicating that all articles are peer reviewed or independently refereed (eg. from the 'instructions for authors' page or bibliographical details)

• A statement printed out from the journal's or journal publisher's website stating that all articles in the journal are peer reviewed or independently refereed

• A statement from the editor of the journal confirming that all articles are peer reviewed or independently refereed. It may be a letter or an email (see proformas)

• A copy of a referee's review for the article being claimed in the collection
  

If the article is not in the main section of a refereed journal (ie. it is in a section titled 'comment', 'letters' or similar), you may need to provide additional proof that the article was refereed.

Confirming the referee status of conferences

DIISR only accepts conference papers which have been independently refereed or peer reviewed and published in full. This means that published abstracts, or extended abstracts, or full papers for which only the abstract or extended abstract was refereed, cannot count in the collection. Verification of referee status must be provided in the form of :

• An appropriate statement from the conference organiser's website or conference material
• A statement from the conference organiser or proceedings editor indicating that the full papers were refereed (see proformas)
• Proof (such as the above) that all papers in the conference were refereed, if a keynote address is being claimed
• A copy of a referee's review for the paper being claimed in the collection

Finding information about book publishers

One criterion for books and book chapters in the DIISR collection is that books must be published by a commercial publisher. DIISR defines a commercial publisher as one whose core business is publishing. DIISR has ceased updating its Register but it is still available for reference. If you are unsure if it is Commercial, contact the Publications Officer in the Resarch Office.

Bylines and author affiliation

In order to claim part or all of a publication, the ANU must provide evidence that the author(s) being claimed were at the ANU when they conducted the research leading to the publication. The easiest method of doing so is through the publication's byline.

If the byline, list of contributors or author biography clearly states that the author is affiliated with the ANU, this is sufficient to claim the author's contribution to the book at 100% for the ANU. If the byline lists more than one institution for the author, ANU can still claim 100%. If the byline lists two departments of the ANU, the author's claim must be split appropriately between the departments. The ANU component of the claim for an author for one publication must not exceed 100%.

If there is no direct visible link between the author's contribution to the publication and the ANU, publications officers must provide a statement from the author confirming that they undertook the research leading to the publication while working at that department of the ANU (see proformas). There must also be institutional proof (ie. copy of staff list from the relevant year's annual report) that the author was on staff at the department at the time the research was undertaken.

Putting verification materials together

Depending on the category of publication being claimed, different materials are required to verify the existence and eligibility of the publication. Provision of accurate and complete records is imperative, as auditors can penalise the ANU for incomplete or inconclusive verification.

Click here to access checklists of information required for each category of publication.

Proformas

Below are links to proformas which may be required to complete verification materials for certain publications. Note that confirmation of referee status for conference papers or journal articles may be obtained by email. Affiliation statements must be signed by the author, but may be faxed if necessary. Alternatively an email from the author is acceptable.

• Letter to editor of journal to request confirmation of referee status
• Letter to editor/organiser of conference proceedings/conference to request confirmation of referee status
• Affiliation statement from staff
• Affiliation statement from student

Coding Symbols and other Special Characters

Some special characters used in fields like mathematics and chemistry need special codes so that the web browsers can recognise them. The links below should be able to assist you:

• General ISO characters
• Greek alphabet
• Mathematical symbols
• Miscellaneous symbols