What's New in EPrints 3.0

The next major release of EPrints - version 3.0 - is on it's way. We've listened to our community, and we're confident that 3.0 will improve the EPrints experience right across the board:

• Researchers can export EPrints searches straight into their bibliography software or RSS news reader
• Editors can take advantage of the redesigned review interface, with shortcuts to individual metadata pages
• Librarians can now let EPrints take care of embargos and routing email requests for restricted documents to the right person
• Administrators have many more options at their disposal for importing legacy records, and will notice several improvements "under the hood"

Get out what you put in

A new plugin architecture makes it possible get data and documents in and out of your repository quickly and easily.

• Export search results with just one click
• Supported formats include EndNote?, BibTeX, Reference Manager, XML, DIDL and RSS
• Bulk imports from your preferred format
• Export everything in one go: new EPrints XML format contains metadata and embedded files
• Simple drop-in architecture makes it easy to add and share new formats

We've made some changes to the EPrints search interface. Alongside search results, users are now also presented with the option of exporting the results using any of the available export plugins, including EndNote?, BibTex?, Reference Manger, XML and DIDL.

Highlight: RSS plugin. As well as converting the list of search results to the RSS format this plugin resorts the items according to the date they were deposited. Users can enter the URL of the RSS output into their RSS reader and will automatically see updates as new items matching the search criteria are deposited in the repository.

We've also added an import tool which allows administrators to import, in bulk, bibliographic data using any of the available import plugins, including EndNote? and XML.

The EPrints XML format has also been improved: the format itself is more intuitive; and in-line documents (base64 encoded) are supported. This means that you can effectively export your entire archive into a single XML file, and makes bulk importing of items with full texts much easier.

Behind the scenes, a drop-in architecture makes it easy to create import and export plugins for new formats, or to override the behaviour of an existing plugin. Each plugin is self-contained in a single file and so can easily be shared amongst the community.

Time savers

Take a load off: we've squeezed in several new time saving features!

• Editor's approval page completely redesigned - direct links to each metadata page make editorial changes quick and easy
• Support for Publisher- and funder-imposed embargos - document access restrictions automatically removed when embargos expire
• Route requests for non-OA documents directly to the authors - requests accepted or rejected with a single click
• All changes to eprints now logged - view audit trail

Callout box for techies - "Under the Hood"

• Restructured API makes it easier than ever to program with EPrints
• Based on feedback from training course attendees
• Fully back-compatible
• All major modules now fully documented
• Reclaim your cycles: new streamlined on-demand indexer
• Unified database structure keeps everything in one place

Resources for Layout

Exporting search results:

New look editors' control page:

Entering an embargo date:

Request document button:

Viewing history of all changes to an eprint:

Actual EndNote? output:

%0 Conference Paper
%A Lericolais, Y.
%B 4th Conference on Animal Things
%D 1998
%F foo1
%T African Elephants and Man
%U http://flag.ecs.soton.ac.uk/1/
%X This is where the abstract of this record would appear. This is only demonstration data.

%0 Conference Paper
%A Calder, A.
%A Nittrouer, E.
%A Galil, S.
%B 5th Workshop on Avian Issues
%D 2005
%F foo23
%T Bald Eagles and Man
%U http://flag.ecs.soton.ac.uk/23/
%X This is where the abstract of this record would appear. This is only demonstration data.

%0 Journal Article
%A Bonardi, F.
%A Parkes, R.
%A Ianson, J.
%A Burridge, B.
%D 2000
%F foo68
%I Fenderson Press
%J European Journal of Insect Issues
%N 8
%P 33-61
%T Brazilian Rainbow Boas and Man
%U http://flag.ecs.soton.ac.uk/68/
%V 18
%X This is where the abstract of this record would appear. This is only demonstration data.

Actual BibTeX output:

@inproceedings{foo1,
       booktitle = {4th Conference on Animal Things},
    howpublished = {http://flag.ecs.soton.ac.uk/1/},
          author = {Y. Lericolais},
           title = {African Elephants and Man},
            year = {1998},
        abstract = {This is where the abstract of this record would appear. This is only demonstration data.}
}

@inproceedings{foo23,
       booktitle = {5th Workshop on Avian Issues},
    howpublished = {http://flag.ecs.soton.ac.uk/23/},
          author = {A. Calder and E. Nittrouer and S. Galil},
           title = {Bald Eagles and Man},
            year = {2005},
        abstract = {This is where the abstract of this record would appear. This is only demonstration data.}
}

@article{foo68,
    howpublished = {http://flag.ecs.soton.ac.uk/68/},
          number = {8},
          volume = {18},
           month = {June},
          author = {F. Bonardi and R. Parkes and J. Ianson and B. Burridge},
           title = {Brazilian Rainbow Boas and Man},
       publisher = {Fenderson Press},
            year = {2000},
         journal = {European Journal of Insect Issues},
           pages = {33--61},
        abstract = {This is where the abstract of this record would appear. This is only demonstration data.}
}

Future features - save for next newsletter

Deposit your way

• Define custom workflows for different contexts
• Based on UI review carried out by HCI experts
• Field auto-completion for better metadata quality
• Upload documents upfront for metadata extraction

Remote control

• Web services interface extends the possibilities of EPrints integration and automation

Preservation made easy

• Convert documents to your preferred preservation formats
• Simple drop-in plugin architecture makes it easy to add new formats

Fine tuning

• Grant access rights on a per-user basis