This is a visual explainer based on the Wikipedia article on Research Papers in Economics (RePEc). Read the full source article here. (opens in new tab)

RePEc: The Global Nexus of Economic Scholarship

Navigating and contributing to the world's largest collaborative repository for economic research, covering its history, content, services, and impact.

Explore RePEc ๐Ÿ‘‡ Discover Services ๐Ÿ’ป

Dive in with Flashcard Learning!


When you are ready...
๐ŸŽฎ Play the Wiki2Web Clarity Challenge Game๐ŸŽฎ

Overview

A Collaborative Endeavor

Research Papers in Economics (RePEc) is a global initiative driven by hundreds of volunteers across numerous countries. Its primary objective is to enhance the dissemination of scholarly work within the field of economics. At its core, RePEc functions as a decentralized database, aggregating a vast array of academic materials.

Comprehensive Repository

The RePEc database encompasses a wide spectrum of economic literature, including working papers, preprints, published journal articles, and even software components relevant to economic research.[1] It serves as one of the most extensive online repositories for academic content worldwide.

Open Access Philosophy

While RePEc provides links to millions of full-text documents, the copyright for these materials remains with the original authors or copyright holders. The project strongly promotes open access, facilitating widespread availability and accessibility of economic research findings for scholars and practitioners alike.[13]

A Legacy of Dissemination

Origins and Evolution

The RePEc project officially commenced in 1997, building upon the foundations laid by its precursor, NetEc, which originated in 1993.[2] This long history underscores RePEc's pioneering role in digital academic archiving and distribution within economics.

A notable early development was the creation of an on-line distribution system for academic research known as NEP (Network Electronic Paper), which operated from 1998 to 2010.[2] This laid crucial groundwork for the decentralized architecture RePEc employs today.

Growth and Scale

RePEc has experienced exponential growth since its inception. It currently provides access to over 4.4 million full-text articles, working papers, book chapters, and software components.[3] This vast collection makes it one of the largest repositories of academic material globally.

Content and Coverage

Diverse Scholarly Outputs

RePEc meticulously indexes and provides access to a wide range of academic outputs essential for economic research:

  • Working Papers: Preliminary research findings and ongoing studies.
  • Journal Articles: Published research from a vast number of economics journals.
  • Books and Book Chapters: Scholarly monographs and contributions to edited volumes.
  • Software Components: Tools and code relevant to economic analysis.

Depth of Information

The database offers varying levels of detail for its indexed items, ranging from basic bibliographic information (author, title, abstract) to full-text availability. This depth ensures researchers can efficiently locate and access the materials they need for their studies.[1]

Global Reach

RePEc's decentralized structure involves contributions from hundreds of institutional archives worldwide. This global network ensures comprehensive coverage of economic research originating from diverse academic institutions and regions.

Leveraging the Data

IDEAS & EconPapers

The RePEc data is utilized by several key services for exploration and access. IDEAS (Internet Documents in Economics Access Service) and EconPapers are prominent platforms that allow users to search and browse the extensive bibliographic data, discover new research, and access full-text documents where available.[3][4]

RePEc Author Service

The RePEc Author Service (RAS) is a vital component that provides registered economists with personalized profiles. It facilitates author-specific bibliometrics, tracks citation counts, and supports authority control, helping researchers manage and showcase their academic contributions.[5]

Data Integration

Many other bibliographic providers and academic databases integrate RePEc data into their systems. This widespread adoption highlights RePEc's role as a foundational data source for the economics research community, enabling broader discovery and analysis.[3]

Impact and Rankings

Ranking Ecosystem

RePEc leverages its comprehensive data to generate various rankings, providing insights into the productivity and influence of economists and institutions. These rankings cover authors, institutions, countries, regions, and even specific graduate programs.[8][9][10][11]

Citation Analysis

The platform facilitates citation analysis, a critical metric for evaluating research impact. By tracking citations across millions of works, RePEc contributes to a deeper understanding of scholarly influence within the economics discipline.[13]

Gender Representation

Since 2018, RePEc has utilized the NamSor gender classifier to estimate and report on female representation within the field of economics. As of August 2024, approximately 26.5% of registered economists are identified as female, offering valuable data for discussions on diversity and inclusion in the discipline.[14][15]

Contribution and Collaboration

Institutional Archives

Institutions can contribute their research materials to RePEc by establishing and maintaining their own RePEc archive. This decentralized approach ensures broad coverage and allows departments and universities to manage their scholarly output effectively.[7]

Munich Personal RePEc Archive (MPRA)

For institutions lacking their own dedicated archive, the Munich Personal RePEc Archive (MPRA) serves as a central repository. Researchers can submit their work directly to MPRA, ensuring it is indexed and made accessible through the RePEc network.[6]

Publisher and Database Partnerships

RePEc collaborates with leading academic publishers like Elsevier and Springer, listing their economics materials. Furthermore, it partners with databases such as EconLit, providing them with content from university working paper series. This collaborative ecosystem amplifies the reach and impact of economic research.[1]

Teacher's Corner

Edit and Print this course in the Wiki2Web Teacher Studio

Edit and Print Materials from this study in the wiki2web studio
Click here to open the "Research Papers In Economics" Wiki2Web Studio curriculum kit

Use the free Wiki2web Studio to generate printable flashcards, worksheets, exams, and export your materials as a web page or an interactive game.

True or False?

Test Your Knowledge!

Gamer's Corner

Are you ready for the Wiki2Web Clarity Challenge?

Learn about research_papers_in_economics while playing the wiki2web Clarity Challenge game.
Unlock the mystery image and prove your knowledge by earning trophies. This simple game is addictively fun and is a great way to learn!

Play now

Explore More Topics

Discover other topics to study!

                                        

References

References

  1.  A brief business history of an on-line distribution system for academic research called NEP, 1998รขย€ย“2010
  2.  Economics and Finance Research IDEAS/RePEc
  3.  Munich Personal RePEc Archive
  4.  RePEc archive step-by-step tutorial
  5.  Top authors
  6.  Top institutions
  7.  Country and state rankings
  8.  Economics rankings IDEAS/RePEc
  9.  About Open Access - The RePEc Blog
  10.  RePEc in October 2018
  11.  Female representation in Economics
A full list of references for this article are available at the Research Papers in Economics Wikipedia page

Feedback & Support

To report an issue with this page, or to find out ways to support the mission, please click here.

Disclaimer

Important Notice

This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is derived from publicly available data, primarily the Wikipedia article on Research Papers in Economics (RePEc), and may not be entirely exhaustive, up-to-date, or reflect the most current developments.

This is not professional academic or research advice. The information provided is not a substitute for consulting official RePEc documentation, academic advisors, or subject matter experts. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy based on the source material, users should independently verify critical information.

The creators of this page are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.