Frequently Asked Questions
What is CRO?
CRO (CSU Research Output) is the CSU Institutional Repository and contains research articles (predominantly journal articles, conference papers, books and book chapters) produced by CSU staff and recorded as part of the annual HERDC collection. It is now also an online repository for CSU creative works, both for the CSU Creative Works Register, and for ERA.
- For general background about CRO and information on institutional repositories, see: FAQs: General Information.
- To deposit to CRO, click on: CRO – CSU Research Output
What is the HERDC?
The Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) is an annual government reporting requirement, comprising research data (income and publications) from all Australian tertiary institutions. The data collected is used to determine funding allocations to the tertiary sector. Publications data is collected from four categories:
- A1: Books - authored research (5 points)
- B: Book Chapter (1 point)
- C1: Journal Articles - refereed article in a scholarly journal (1 point)
- E1: Conference Publications - full written paper refereed (1 point)
Details of these publications are now stored on CRO.
ALL eligible HERDC submissions will automatically be considered for ERA.
- For further information, visit the Research Publications Data Collection page.
- For detailed information about the HERDC specifications, see: DIISR - Higher Education Research Data Collection Specifications
- For information on submitting research outputs for HERDC, see FAQ’s: Submitting to CRO
What is ERA?
ERA (Excellence in Research for Australia) is a new research assessment initiative being conducted by the Australian Research Council (ERA). Essentially ERA replaces the old RQF (Research Quality Framework) as a system of research evaluation. At CSU, CRO is the authoritative source of information on research outputs, including journal articles, books, conference papers, chapters, and creative works. All research outputs by eligible CSU researchers must be in CRO when the next ERA assessment occurs.
- For detailed information about ERA, and a guide to submitting ERA-specific (non-HERDC, pre-CSU) outputs, see: FAQs: ERA.
How do Creative Works fit in?
Unlike HERDC, the ERA assessment exercise includes Creative Works. This is an acknowledgement that research, and contribution to new knowledge, can manifest in other ways and forms in the creative arts. Note, however, that any creative work submission requires a research statement, supporting material, and, where possible a digital representation of the item.
- For further information about Creative works, including allowable file and research statement formats, and specific directions on submitting Creative Works for ERA, see: FAQs: Creative Works.