Electronic Green Journal

Institutional repositories (IRs) play a vital role in enhancing the visibility of a university’s intellectual and research output while also promoting more sustainable scholarly communication. This study examines the status of research visibility at Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU), Bangladesh, and evaluates the potential of an IR to improve the university’s global ranking. Using a mixed-method approach, data were collected through surveys of departmental offices (documenting 5,472 preserved student research reports) and interviews with the university librarian. Comparative insights were also drawn from five leading universities with established IRs, alongside faculty research output data retrieved from Scopus. Results show that although an IR can substantially increase research visibility, NSTU stays in the planning phase of implementation. The findings underscore the strategic importance of developing comprehensive IR to combine research output, expand accessibility, and strengthen institutional ranking.