Research

1.Ideas

2.Plan & Design

3.Data Sourcing

4.Data Governance

5.Data Analysis

7. Impact & Engagement

6. Publishing & Preservation

Ideas

The library helps researchers conduct thorough literature searches to develop and refine research questions. Our approach is structured into five main sections:

• Finding Databases
• Literature Review
• Systematic Reviews
• Researcher Networks on Campus
• Research Impact Areas

Research Information Skills

Plan & Design

Support for identifying funding opportunities and writing grant proposals is provided by the Research Office and Research Accounts.

Research Data Management (RDM) and Open Research practices that aim to meet institutional policy and funder requirements are supported by the library as follows:

RDM Support
Open Practice Guidance

Data Sourcing

The library supports researchers by offering access to essential resources. These include both digital and physical materials from local sources, such as the University's own research outputs and archives, as well as external sources like open data repositories and subscription-based content and databases.

Using our Heritage collections, Archives and Special collections
Data Collection Tools and Methods

Data Governance

Data Governance broadly covers approaches to working with data during the research cycle and include data organisation, management, storage, and policy. It is often called Data Stewardship and includes including compliance with data privacy and ethical considerations specific to different research fields and data types. A key concept is FAIR data.

Research Data Management Training
FAIR data

Data Analysis

To support researchers in understanding and processing their data while encouraging open practice. The library provides guidance and advice on the use of open tools and methods for data analysis, covering:

Data analysis
AI for research
Digital tools for research

Publishing & Preservation

Open and Digital Publishing The library provides help to enhance the visibility and impact of research through our suite of open publishing platforms.

Routes to Open Access
Making your publications Open Access
Research data publishing
Preservation support

Impact & Engagement

The library advises on how to publish openly and responsibly. Read about the University of Galway statement on responsible research metrics.

Impact Support

Researcher Workshops and Events

Services

We provide open publishing, research data management, digital research support, research skills training, personalised consultations, and more.

View all our Services

Resources

We offer several resources to support scholarship, including digital collections, archives, special collections, open publications, and open educational resources.

View all our Resources

Latest news

Open Research Week 2026

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:55:00 +0000
Open Research Week 2026 is a collaboration between Dublin City University, Queen's University Belfast, University College Cork, University College Dublin and University of Galway, celebrating and promoting open research. It is scheduled for February 9-11, 2026 with morning and afternoon sessions each day, focusing on different aspects of open research such as citizen science, open research

Research Publishing, Excellence and Open, Next steps

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 16:30:00 +0000
Research publishing at University of Galway: policy and next steps Research publishing is evolving as funders, governments, and institutions place greater focus on openness, quality and responsible research assessment. In response, the University of Galway has adopted a new Research Publishing Policy that brings together research excellence and open dissemination in a single framework. 

Library Research Services Drop-in Clinic 2026

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:55:00 +0000
The Library Research Service Drop-In Clinic starts on the 13th January 2026. Library specialists from the Open and Digital Research team will be available throughout the week to advise researchers on key research areas of open research, research skills, data management, and digital research.If further support is needed, researchers can schedule a 1-1 follow up session with a library specialist.

Global initiatives to improve research publishing

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 12:32:00 +0000
By joining global movements to reform research assessment, protect access to information, and accelerate the transition to open publishing, the University of Galway is contributing to a more equitable, sustainable publishing ecosystem.The University of Galway joined the Irish National Chapter of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment, CoARA, in 2024. The four core

Dr Cillian Joy

Head of Open and Digital Research
Email: cillian.joyuniversityofgalway.ie
Publishing, Partnerships, Strategy

Oksana Dereza

Digital Library Developer
Email: oksana.derezauniversityofgalway.ie
Digital Projects, Using Data in Research, and Digital Publishing Platforms

Rosie Dunne

Research Services Librarian
Email: rosie.dunneuniversityofgalway.ie
091 49 5959
Research Skills, Using Databases, and Finding Information

Trish Finnan

Digital Publishing and Data Management Librarian
Email: trish.finnanuniversityofgalway.ie
091 49 5961
Data Management Plans (DMPs), Research Data Management (RDM), Open Publishing, OER

Kate Harrigan

Research Data Steward
Email: kathleen.harriganuniversityofgalway.ie
Research Data Stewardship, Management, and Curation

Dr Jen Smith

Open Research Librarian
Email: jen.smithuniversityofgalway.ie
Open Practice and Open Research

Michelle Tighe

Library Assistant, Open and Digital Research & Collection Management
Email: michelle.tigheuniversityofgalway.ie
Events, Administration, Communications, and Web