Abstract
This study investigated lecturers' deposit practices, their perception of depositing content,
and their preference for institutional repositories (IRs) compared with traditional
publishing models in public universities in South-East Nigeria. A descriptive survey
research design was adopted. The population comprised 5,759 lecturers in the five public
universities in South-East Nigeria, from which a sample of 400 was drawn using the Taro
Yamane formula and a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data were collected with a 51-item
researcher-developed questionnaire titled “Lecturers' Perception on Content Depository
and Use of Institutional Repository Questionnaire” (LPCDUIRQ), validated by three experts
and yielding a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0.95. Out of 400 copies
administered, 381 (96%) were returned and used for analysis. Data were analysed using
mean and standard deviation. Findings showed that the extent to which lecturers deposit
content in institutional repositories is low (cluster mean = 2.02), their perception of
depositing content in IRs is also low (cluster mean = 1.95), and their preference for IRs
over traditional publishing models is similarly low (cluster mean = 1.75). The study
concluded that lecturers in South-East Nigeria remain largely disengaged from institutional
repositories despite their availability, preferring traditional publishing outlets. It was
recommended that university management make deposit of research outputs compulsory,
that librarians organise regular sensitisation and training programmes, and that
institutional policies be strengthened to improve lecturers' deposit behaviour.
Keywords: Institutional Repositories, Content Depository, Lecturers' Perception, Open
Access, Public Universities, South-East Nigeria
Publication Date: 2026-07-31