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About Iowa Research Online

Faculty Output in Iowa Research Online

Research and creative works authored or created by University of Iowa faculty and staff as part of their professional duties are eligible to be added to Iowa Research Online.

University of Iowa Libraries staff works with university colleges, departments, research centers, and individual faculty to select, submit, and manage content. Faculty and researchers are invited to contribute their scholarship for long-term preservation, discoverability, and accessibility. Archiving content in IRO is free and allowed by many publishers. 

The type of content housed in IRO includes but is not limited to:

  • journal articles, accepted manuscripts, and pre-prints
  • abstracts and conference proceedings
  • conference presentations, papers, and posters
  • datasets and software/code
  • books and book chapters
  • teaching and learning materials
  • creative works
  • working papers
  • theses and dissertations
  • any other content appropriate for a faculty member's CV

Content archived in IRO is:

  • discoverable by search engines such as Google and Google Scholar
  • indexed and searchable in InfoHawk+, the University of Iowa Libraries' catalog
  • hosted on a secure server and given a persistent URL to ensure permanent access
  • registered with a digital object identifier (DOI) - for datasets, working papers, pre-prints, and accepted manuscripts
  • openly accessible to researchers around the world who may have limited access to scholarly materials.

Works are added to IRO in three ways:

  1. Smart Harvest - Smart Harvest is an algorithm that automatically captures records of publications by University of Iowa researchers that are indexed in the Ex Libris Central Discovery Index. Works captured through Smart Harvest must be approved by library staff before they are added to IRO. Smart Harvest runs weekly on all tenure-track faculty, researchers with public profiles, and some research staff to keep IRO and Researcher Profiles up to date. (NOTE: Due to copyright, full-text files are not added to IRO through the Smart Harvest process.)
  2. Imports - Lists of works in CSV, RIS, or BIBTEX format can be imported into IRO in batch. Files can also be added through the Import process. Contact lib-ir@uiowa.edu to get started.
  3. Add Content - Researchers can sign in to IRO and use the ADD CONTENT button to manually submit works to IRO. If the work is indexed in the Ex Libris Central Discovery Index, the submission form will be automatically populated. Researchers have the option to add files and links for their works through the Add Content process. Files are not automatically converted to PDF. (See How to Add Content for detailed instructions.)

If works do not have associated full-text files or links, View Online options are available to connect to library subscription sources, search library holdings, or request interlibrary loan.

UI faculty and researchers can self-deposit their scholarly work in Iowa Research Online. Anything appropriate for a CV is appropriate for inclusion in Iowa Research Online, though you must have the right to post any uploaded files. Deposits are reviewed by library staff. Upon approval, the records will be discoverable in Iowa Research Online, InfoHawk+, Google, and Google Scholar.

To deposit your work, go to https://iro.uiowa.edu/, and click the Sign in button. This will take you to your Iowa Research Online account where you can see your profile and the works we already have in the system. Then click the ADD CONTENT button, fill out the form as completely as possible, and click Submit. The video below will walk you through the whole process, from start to finish.

(NOTE: To deposit data in IRO, please see our Data Deposit Guide or contact lib-data@uiowa.edu for assistance.)

If you have any problems or questions, please contact us at lib-ir@uiowa.edu.