Don't Tease the Reader: Techniques for Making Social Science CRIS More Useful to Research Users

Abstract

This paper considers two abiding problems faced by CRIS in the social sciences: a lack of full-text content; and an inappropriate service model for research users. The paper describes market research that indicates precisely what kinds of services potential CRIS users are using. In the light of this, the paper looks at the progress and plans on these issues in one particular context, and looks to the next set of opportunities. The topics covered include eprints, the OpenURL standard, topical news and alert services. The paper concludes by reviewing the horizon for user-oriented CRIS, moving closer to a publication and mediation model, rather than a database model.