Open @ La Trobe (OPAL) is La Trobe University’s Institutional Repository, hosting a wide range of LTU open access research.
As a researcher at La Trobe, you can use OPAL to share and promote your work and provide worldwide access to your publications, theses and data. Through My Publications, you can deposit your Author Accepted Manuscripts into OPAL the moment your paper is published.
The Library Research team can help you do this and will manage any embargoes to ensure your research is available to everyone as soon as possible.
Why should I deposit my work in OPAL?
Depositing your work into OPAL has many benefits – for you, La Trobe and the wider community.
As a researcher, it can:
- increase the visibility of your research outputs
- increase opportunities for citation
- increase accessibility
- encourage the open sharing of knowledge
- ensure compliance with funder requirements
The university also benefits. When industry, government and the wider community can readily access La Trobe research, it raises our profile by highlighting LTU research initiatives and achievements and creates opportunities for future collaboration. Expanding the impact of La Trobe research and partnerships, both locally and globally, supports the research goals in our University Strategic Plan.
Publishing in OPAL ensures compliance with grant funder requirements and La Trobe University policies around depositing research outputs and data into OPAL.
For Graduate Researchers, depositing your work into OPAL (poster papers or other presentations) can help you build a portfolio.
And finally, even if your work is not immediately published as open access (i.e., it is published “behind a paywall”), by depositing your work into OPAL, it will eventually be accessible by everyone as an Author Accepted Manuscript, after any embargo period has expired. When you add the Author Accepted Manuscript to OPAL, a link is created under the publication details in your Academic Profile.
How the Library can help
The Library Research team can provide information and support on open access publishing and advice on how to deposit your work in OPAL.
We also manage publisher embargoes – all you need to do is deposit your Author Accepted Manuscript of a journal article into OPAL. Simply click the deposit button in My Publications and follow the steps. The Library Research Team can manage the rest for you.
Find out more
Check our OPAL Expert Guide for more information.
OPAL’s examples showcase demonstrates the diversity of possible items that can be shared via OPAL.
For further information and assistance, contact the Library Researcher Liaison team by emailing libraryresearchsupport@latrobe.edu.au or submitting a research query.
