Strengthening Research Information Management at TU Delft

Enhancing Quality and Reliability Through OA Switchboard and CRIS Integration

Library at a Glance

• Location: Netherlands

• Library type: Large research and education university

• OA Switchboard role: Library participant

• Integration system: Elsevier Pure (CRIS)

• Primary use case: Identifying new publications by TU Delft researchers

The Challenge

Delft University of Technology produces a high volume of scholarly output across a wide range of disciplines. Gaining a complete and up-to-date overview of all publications authored by TU Delft researchers proved challenging due to scattered information sources, inconsistent reporting practices, and limited standardisation and availability of publication metadata.

Although TU Delft uses a Current Research Information System (CRIS) to manage research outputs, relying solely on authors to input their publications or on publishers to report them did not always provide a comprehensive picture. As a result, new publications could be missed or identified later than desired, making it harder for the library to maintain accurate and complete records.

The Approach

Notifications of new articles are received through multiple channels: via harvests from the CRIS system (where researchers and authors enter their publications themselves) and, in some cases, directly from publishers through publisher reports.

TU Delft Library uses the OA Switchboard primarily as a discovery tool to identify newly published research outputs. Email notifications from the OA Switchboard are used to check these publications against the CRIS. If a publication is not yet present, it is added accordingly. In this way, the library regularly identifies new content.

The Impact

The OA Switchboard consolidates information on publications coming out of Delft University of Technology and alerts the library through email notifications. These signals enable library staff to quickly verify new publications against the CRIS, enrich records where needed, and ensure that relevant outputs are captured in a timely manner.

By using OA Switchboard notifications alongside their CRIS, TU Delft Library regularly identifies publications that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. This improves the completeness and accuracy of their research information, supports efficient publication tracking, and strengthens the library’s ability to manage and monitor publication outputs across the institution.

Key Takeaway

By combining OA Switchboard alerts with their existing CRIS workflow, TU Delft Library gains a more complete and timely overview of institutional research output—reducing the risk of missed publications and improving the quality and reliability of their research information management.