FAQ : Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get access to the full text of the records I have found?

If there is no link to the full-text in the reference you found, then ask your nearest public or university library, who will very likely be able to help you locate the full-text. As a help to retrieving the full-text again you can print your references from The Danish National Research Database.

Why do I not find all that I would aspect in The Danish National Research Database?

The Danish National Research Database is based on volunteer participation from the universities and research institutions in Denmark. This is why there is a great variation in the research database coverage from one to another institution and from different research fields. But there is an increasing focus on the universities documentation of research output and the research database is using the same sources that the universities are using for documenting their output. Therefore we expect that the future will only bring better coverage and data quality.

Always remember to use several sources when doing a proper literature review.

Why can I not find all Danish research institutions in the database?

It is completely voluntary for institutions to provide data to The Danish National Research Database. In general, the majority of institutions are ready to do so without further ado. But sometimes an institution might feel that their data are not ready to be publicised yet, this could be the case when an institution is in a transition from one database to another where the automatic conversion almost always also needs to be supported by a manual procedure. Moreover is the DDF-MXD exchange format that presents higher demands to the data providers in terms of quality of metadata and the way data is provided through OAI-PMH to the research database. It is not yet all institutions that can match these terms, but in a near future all universities should able to do so.

What is the difference between the new and old Danish National Research Database?

The core change in the new National Danish Research Database in comparison to the old is the exchange format DDF-MXD. The format has been developed in cooperation with more of the existing data providers to research database as well as the major supplier of institutional repositories and CRIS-systems in Denmark. The team comprises many years of experience with research information systems. Their work resulted in the new exchange format which provides a high degree of convergence between the different metadata formats in the local databases. As a result The Danish National Research Database has obtained much richer bibliographic metadata. Also there is a very broad agreement on the usage of enumerated lists for the description of different document types, research indicators i.e. All these initiatives is providing the user much higher precision when searching and resulting in more detailed description of the individual records, making it easier for the user for verify and compare records.

The database was previously based on batch upload of data from local research databases supplied with an option to register records directly via web based interface into the research database. The result was records of metadata that was much more heterogeneous. The main concern, however was that there was a large difference between how and when records where updated – for some institutions it could take years between updates. With the new research database, this has changed completely as changes in the local research databases are now instantly updated in The Danish National Research Database, thus giving the data in the research database a much higher degree of reliability and local control of own data.

How do I save the relevant records I have found?

Then National Danish Research Database provides you with a “basket” feature for exporting references in the RIS format into your bibliographic tool, i.e. Reference Manager, RefWorks. To save a reference just click on the basket icon next to the record you wish to save. In the left side on the page page you’ll find a basket that provides you with an overview of the references that you have chosen, here it’s also possible to remove single or all references from the list. When you have finished checking your search for relevant records you can export the result to your bibliographic tool.

NB! The database remembers all the records that you have chosen – also when you make a new search. To remove all the records you will have to click on “Deselect all”.

In case you just need a single or a few references from your search result you could also chose to copy/paste a reference from the APA format in the research database into your reference list. This format is designed for reference lists.

I have found an error in a record, how can I get it corrected?

All data in The National Danish Research Database are harvested directly from the local databases. Changes in the local databases are immediately updated in the database. Therefore you should contact the institution that provides The National Danish Research Database with the record and ask them to correct the error.

Can I search for projects?

Yes and no. DDF does currently not harvest project data from the data providers, but it is the plan to include project data soon. It is still possible to search for project data in the old research database data. However, it is important to notice that these data are no longer being updated, but they might have historical interest.

Can I search for profiles of researcher or experts?

No, currently there are no profiles of researchers in the database. It is the plan eventually to include persons and experts into the research database. If you are looking for experts within certain research areas then we advise you to consider which institution might do research within this certain area and go directly to their web page – many universities have their own expert databases. Although it is not possible to search directly for persons in the research database now – it can be used to identify relevant persons by identifying relevant documents and from there relevant researchers. Each record should indicate to which institution the researchers belonging.

Can I search for organisation profiles?

Yes and no. The Danish National Research Database is currently not harvesting organisation profiles from the data providers. It is, however still possible to search for organisation profiles in the old research database data. Remember that these data are no longer being updated.

What is Open Access?

Open Access (OA) is defined by resources that are openly available to users with no requirements for authentication or payment. OA's primary target content is articles published in scholarly journals.

A description of Open Access can be found at Wikipedia.

What is Zotero?

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources. It lives right where you do your work-in the web browser itself. In other terms Zotero makes life easier for researchers and students.

Zotero can be downloaded as a plugin to your Firefox browser. But if you prefer another browser then there are other options available - download Zotero now or check out the details of the Zetro standalone and support of other browsers at Zoteros home page: http://www.zotero.org/

Zotero is an Open Source project developed by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, and is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

How does Zotero work with research database?

If you have the Zotero plugin installed your browser will automatically senses content, allowing you to add it to your personal library with a single click. Check out the Save to Zotero icon in your browser.