1. OPUS at UTS

How to Deposit

Who can deposit to OPUS?

UTS staff and higher degree research students, or their delegates, can deposit to OPUS. Faculty Research Managers and staff from the Research Office and UTS Library may also deposit material on behalf of UTS staff and students, in support of the University’s research measurement requirements, such as ERA, or to facilitate compliance with the policies of funding bodies.

Why is it important to deposit my UTS research outputs to OPUS?

  • Compliance with UTS, ARC & NHMRC Open Access Policies

    • The UTS Open Access Policy requires UTS researchers to deposit their research outputs to OPUS to ensure wide dissemination and equitable world wide access. See the Research Open Access Procedure for guidance on complying with this policy.
    • Deposit to OPUS helps you to comply with the open access policies of the ARC and NHMRC, which state:
      • The metadata of specified funded publications must appear in an institutional repository within 3 months of publication
      • A copy of the work must be available in open access either immediately (NHMRC grants since September 2022) or within 12 months of publication (NHMRC grants prior to September 2022 or ARC grants).

  • Support the UTS ERA Submission

    UTS needs your research outputs in OPUS to facilitate reporting for Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA), the key research quality measurement exercise in Australia.

  • Enhance Visibility and Impact of your work

    OPUS ensures your works are discoverable via Google, Google Scholar, and Trove, as well as via your UTS academic profile, increasing the visibility and accessibility of your work (regardless of where you choose to publish), with the potential to increase citation, collaboration opportunities, and real world impact through economic, social, and/or other end user benefits.

  • Long term storage and access

    OPUS preserves your works in a secure, stable environment with persistent links for long-term access and discovery.

How do I deposit my research outputs to OPUS?

You can deposit your work to OPUS via Symplectic Elements, the UTS research outputs management system.

When you claim (or enter) your research in Symplectic Elements, simply upload the copy of your work that can be made openly available. Symplectic provides information on which version of your work to upload. If you are unsure, please supply a copy of the Accepted Manuscript version for journal articles, or both the Published or Accepted Manuscript versions. The Accepted Manuscript is the final peer-reviewed and corrected version of your paper before it has undergone copy-editing and formatting by the publisher. Be sure to check the box to "agree to the OPUS license terms".

Once deposited, your works are automatically sent to OPUS and placed temporarily in Closed Access until reviewed by UTS Library staff.

  • Library staff check to ensure compliance with copyright and publisher agreements
  • If the version you supplied cannot be made available via OPUS, you may receive an email requesting a copy of the Accepted Manuscript

Once items are cleared of copyright constraints and/or publisher embargoes, your work is moved to Open Access and made accessible to the public.

More information can be found on the Symplectic Elements Support Site (including the detailed Symplectic Elements User Guide). Contact opus@uts.edu.au for further assistance or information.

How do I deposit my UTS Thesis to OPUS?

Higher degree students are required to deposit a digital copy of their thesis to the UTS Library in accordance with Student Rule 11.22. Deposit is via the Digital Thesis Submission Form available from the UTS Library website. Submission of Honours theses is currently under review and we are unable to accept these at this stage. For more information, see Services for Researchers > Support for HDR Students.

UTS theses deposited to OPUS may also made available via certain subscription or open access products, for example ProQuest Dissertation and Theses Global and the ProQuest Open Access platform. This is intended to increase the exposure of your research.

What can I deposit to OPUS

  • All research outputs required for ERA, including those collected for the annual UTS Research Outputs Collection (UTS ROC), are needed in OPUS, including:
    • Peer reviewed journal articles
    • Peer reviewed conference papers
    • Book chapters
    • Research Books
    • Non-traditional research outputs – e.g. creative works (such as live performances, curated exhibitions, etc.); research report; etc.
  • UTS Doctoral and Masters level theses
  • Other Scholarly Works you have produced, and for which you own the copyright, that may be of value to the broader community

If you wish to contribute material that is not listed above, please contact opus@uts.edu.au to discuss this content and your requirements.