{"id":1250,"date":"2026-05-06T16:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T15:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/?p=1250"},"modified":"2026-05-05T16:30:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T15:30:23","slug":"trust-in-the-loughborough-university-research-repository","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/2026\/05\/trust-in-the-loughborough-university-research-repository\/","title":{"rendered":"TRUST in the Loughborough University Research Repository"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Do you trust the <a href=\"https:\/\/repository.lboro.ac.uk\/\">Loughborough University Research Repository<\/a>? As someone who works behind the scenes, it&#8217;s obvious to me that you should \ud83d\ude09 but perhaps you&#8217;ve not thought about it. The <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41597-020-0486-7\">TRUST Principles<\/a> provide a common framework for demonstrating trust in a Research Repository. TRUST is a mnemonic acronym for Transparency, Responsibility, User focus, Sustainability, and Technology. Here&#8217;s what I know about our Research Repository that shows that you can trust it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Transparency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>To be transparent about specific repository services and data holdings that are verifiable by publicly accessible evidence.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/window-open-transparent.png\" rel=\"lightbox[1250]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"898\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/window-open-transparent-1024x898.png\" alt=\"An open window to white space\" class=\"wp-image-1286\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.1403359918547429;width:391px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/window-open-transparent-1024x898.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/window-open-transparent-300x263.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/window-open-transparent-768x674.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/window-open-transparent-1536x1347.png 1536w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/window-open-transparent.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Image credit: Karen Arnold, CC0, via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicdomainpictures.net\/\">https:\/\/www.publicdomainpictures.net\/<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyone in the world can search our Repository &#8211; and we have over 60 000 public items. Some of them might be embargoed, which means we will show the metadata even if you can&#8217;t download the full text. Many researchers have private items, as our Repository doubles for long-term storage as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can read more about our services on the following webpages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lboro.ac.uk\/research\/support\/publishing\/institutional-repository\/\">Loughborough University Research Repository and LUPIN<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lboro.ac.uk\/research\/support\/publishing\/open-access\/\">Open Access<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lboro.ac.uk\/research\/support\/publishing\/archiving-your-data\/\">Archiving your research files<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Responsibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>To be responsible for ensuring the authenticity and integrity of data holdings and for the reliability and persistence of its service.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/38699361802_a1edf4dd22_c.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[1250]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/38699361802_a1edf4dd22_c.jpg\" alt=\"A handshake\" class=\"wp-image-1292\" style=\"width:542px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/38699361802_a1edf4dd22_c.jpg 800w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/38699361802_a1edf4dd22_c-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/38699361802_a1edf4dd22_c-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Image credit: Amtec Photos, CC-BY-SA, via Flickr<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Every item that is submitted to our Repository is checked by the Open Research team in the Library. We ensure accurate, high-quality metadata is added to each item that will improve the discoverability and reusability of the items. We are always on the lookout for copyright and GDPR compliance. One member of the team specializes in research ethics and is on hand to assist with risky deposits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, Loughborough University owns the metadata on the Repository and has full control over the files. Should we ever change platforms in the future (please, never in my lifetime!), we will be able to migrate without any loss of data. Every item is assigned a persistent identifier (DOI or handle), and these links will not break when (if!) we ever move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">User focus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>To ensure that the data management norms and expectations of target user communities are met.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/2902351751_bfe3bcc116.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[1250]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/2902351751_bfe3bcc116.jpg\" alt=\"A women holding a little slip of paper on which the word 'focus' is written. She's in the background out of focus, with the word 'focus', aptly, in focus.\" class=\"wp-image-1288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/2902351751_bfe3bcc116.jpg 500w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/2902351751_bfe3bcc116-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/2902351751_bfe3bcc116-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/2902351751_bfe3bcc116-144x144.jpg 144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Image credit: Dimitris Kalogeropoylos,&nbsp;CC-BY-SA, via Flickr<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Our team is in daily contact with our user community and takes special note of its needs. We also monitor changes in the research landscape, such as legislation or changes to policies from funders, publishers, governments &#8211; basically anyone within the ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes, all that&#8217;s needed is a tweak to one of our standard emails, other times a bigger response is needed, such as our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lboro.ac.uk\/research\/support\/publishing\/rights-retention\/\">Rights Retention policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sustainability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>To sustain services and preserve data holdings for the long-term.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/6101415124_7e87da0cd8_o.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[1250]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"420\" height=\"260\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/6101415124_7e87da0cd8_o.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/6101415124_7e87da0cd8_o.jpg 420w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/6101415124_7e87da0cd8_o-300x186.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Image credit: Innov8social, CC-BY, via Flickr<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Our Repository has a built-in <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Checksum\">checksum <\/a>that guards against errors in transfer and storage. While this doesn&#8217;t prevent <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bit_rot\">bit-rot<\/a>, it does flag it when it happens. Where we think it&#8217;s possible, we will ask for <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lossless_compression\">lossless<\/a> formats that are less likely to degrade over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Open Research Policies for <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.17028\/rd.lboro.25957525\">Open Access<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.17028\/rd.lboro.25817758\">Data and Methods<\/a> commit the university to maintain both the infrastructure (more on this point below) and the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>To provide infrastructure and capabilities to support secure, persistent, and reliable services.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/16389739412_7a6124cc7b_c.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[1250]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"799\" height=\"571\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/16389739412_7a6124cc7b_c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1291\" style=\"width:519px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/16389739412_7a6124cc7b_c.jpg 799w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/16389739412_7a6124cc7b_c-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/16389739412_7a6124cc7b_c-768x549.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Image credit:&nbsp;Blue Coat Photos, CC-BY-SA, via Flickr<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We have a close working relationship with our current software provider, Figshare, and regularly provide input into their service development on behalf of our user community. They roll out monthly software updates as an agile approach to maintaining an excellent service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Last words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s been a peek behind the scenes of what we do to support our users and our Repository, here at Loughborough University. You can TRUST that we are doing all we can to create the best showcase of the brilliant research we do here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read more<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lin, D., Crabtree, J., Dillo, I.&nbsp;<em>et al.<\/em>&nbsp;The TRUST Principles for digital repositories.&nbsp;<em>Scientific Data<\/em>&nbsp;<strong>7<\/strong>, 144 (2020). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41597-020-0486-7\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41597-020-0486-7<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">PS&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You might be wondering how <a href=\"https:\/\/lupin.lboro.ac.uk\/\">LUPIN <\/a>fits into this &#8211; we&#8217;ve got a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lboro.ac.uk\/research\/support\/publishing\/institutional-repository\/\">webpage <\/a>on that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you trust the Loughborough University Research Repository? As someone who works behind the scenes, it&#8217;s obvious to me that you should \ud83d\ude09 but perhaps you&#8217;ve not thought about it. The TRUST Principles provide a common framework for demonstrating trust in a Research Repository. TRUST is a mnemonic acronym for Transparency, Responsibility, User focus, Sustainability, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":720,"featured_media":1292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"lboro_blog_alternative_thumbnail_image":"1292","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[69,163],"tags":[70,91,171],"class_list":["post-1250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-open-research","category-repository","tag-open-research","tag-research-repository","tag-trust"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/720"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1250"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1298,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1250\/revisions\/1298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/rdm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}