A survey of the status of Iranian universities' organizational knowledge repositories in OPEN DOAR

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Faculty of Literature and Humanities Science, Knowledge and Information Science Department, University of Qom, Qom, Iran ,

2 Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Literature and Humanities Science, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

3 Department of Knowledge and Information Science, literature and Humanities Science, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to examine the status of institutional repositories of Iranian universities registered in the OpenDOAR directory.
Methodology: This applied research employs a survey-analytical method. Data were collected using a researcher-made checklist based on the registration criteria of the OpenDOAR system. The research population consisted of all institutional repositories from Iran listed in OpenDOAR, totaling 18 repositories. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel, and the results were presented and interpreted through descriptive statistics using various charts and tables.
Findings: The findings indicate that medical universities in Iran were among the first institutions to establish and develop repositories. Of the 18 repositories registered from Iran, 11 were active and 7 were inactive. Nine repositories belonged to medical universities, and only one was affiliated with a university under the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology. The earliest active repository was registered in 2009 and the latest in 2019, with the highest registration frequencies occurring in 2015 and 2019. EPrints was the most widely used software platform among active repositories. Mashhad University of Medical Sciences recorded the highest number of entries, followed by the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, and the Universities of Medical Sciences in Bushehr, Shahrekord, Ilam, Golestan, Sabzevar, Babol, and Qazvin, respectively. The study revealed a slow growth trend in the development of institutional repositories in Iran. Based on the University of Nottingham's repository classification, the registered records comprised 12 primary document types: journal articles, master's and doctoral theses, conference and workshop papers, research proposals, monographs, educational slides, administrative reports, books, book chapters and sections, datasets, and multimedia and audio materials.A defining characteristic of institutional repositories is the steady accumulation of scientific content over time; in the Iranian context, most records consisted of journal articles and theses. However, growth across many centers remained extremely limited. The majority of repositories belonged to public institutions, and regarding subject coverage, most concentrated on medical and health sciences.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that Iranian universities have largely neglected the implementation and potential of institutional repositories, particularly in enhancing institutional visibility and global rankings. Consequently, both academic research and practical engagement with institutional repositories in Iran remain in their infancy. The limited number of repositories listed in OpenDOAR reflects a general lack of awareness regarding open-access repositories as tools to support research and development. Furthermore, the growth and development of existing repositories have been sluggish and fall far short of satisfactory standards.

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References

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Sciences and Techniques of Information Management
Volume 12, Issue 2
June 2026
Pages 66-84

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