WIReDSpace is a central repository that showcases Wits Research globally. It provides a Repository of African and South African research, which contributes to global knowledge. It meets the goals and objectives of Wits in its adoption of Open Access.
Researchers, lecturers and students can use the various collections for research and educational purposes. Depositing scholarly material on WIReDSpace contributes to the visibility and accessibility of African scholarship globally and facilitates collaboration and dialogue between researchers around the globe.
WIReDSpace is accessible via the major search engines and provides persistent URLS for each item deposited. WIReDSpace is moderated to ensure high standards, appropriate metadata and most importantly, qualtiy content and preservation of material for longevity.
Global dissemination and utilisation of peer-reviewed research papers and other intellectual output from Wits enhance the impact of Wits as a world-class research institution and help to achieve Wits' short-term and long-term strategic goals.
It also provides access to a great deal of material that is normally locked up under copyright or licence restrictions. In making Wits researchers and lecturers' works available on open access, material can be used for teaching purposes and savings on copyright fees can be made.
Researchers, lecturers and students at Wits can benefit from the wealth of research and knowledge on WIReDSpace. Outside users of WIReDSpace can also benefit from this from anywhere in the world. African countries and other developing countries can also benefit from this knowledge.
Researchers can benefit from global exposure of their works (currently they may only have a limited, specialised audience who can afford to access expensive subscription based journals). Now, WIReDSpace broadens the exposure globally and all researchers, educators and students can benefit from this research archive, particularly those who cannot afford to pay for expensive journals subscriptions or gain access to them.
Researchers can benefit from more citations, funding and collaboration opportunities. It generates statistical and other reports, which can be useful when researchers update their CVs, publication lists, apply for funding or NRF ratings, etc. If their works are in WIReDSpace, then their submissions of publications on an annual basis to the Research Office will be much easier.
Scholarly authors of material in WIReDSpace can detect plagiarism on any of their works as the material is online and able to be checked via anti-plagiarism software. Plagiarism of print articles is more difficult to detect.