Selected academic papers by students from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have been included in the newly launched Outstanding Academic Papers by Students (OAPS) scheme and added to CityU's Institutional Repository for online access.

Altogether nine papers by 16 students were recommended for inclusion by academic departments. These students were recognized for their excellence in research at a ceremony in the Library's Reading/Seminar Room on 25 April where they received Outstanding Academic Papers Awards.

OAPS is a pilot scheme launched in January last year by the Library with support from the Department of Economics and Finance and the School of Law.

"The purpose of establishing this collection is to increase the visibility of good academic work by CityU students and encourage students to produce quality research papers," said Professor Steve Ching, University Librarian. "The exchange of knowledge is not only between teachers and students, nor among departments, but also beyond the University."

The archive provides a user-friendly online repository which can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Submissions include term papers, term projects, case studies, reports and publications from different courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Teaching staff and academic departments have set stringent criteria for evaluating the entries.

"The OAPS project provides a platform for easy access," said Dr Jerry Yu, Chief Information Officer, at the ceremony. "It aims to instill information search skills in our students and encourage academic honesty. With the support of staff and students, the project will further enhance e-learning and outcome-based learning."

After the prize presentation, Professor Richard Ho, Vice-President for Undergraduate Education, and Professor Lilian Vrijmoed, Dean of Student Learning, spoke to the students. They and two students then discussed topics on stage such as learning experience, the importance of undergraduate education, life goals and time management. The two student representatives are Mr Dennis Cai, one of the winners, and Mr James Chen, a Year 3 student from the Department of Electronic Engineering.

"The process of doing research and writing is a kind of self-actualization of the writer," Professor Ho said. "These outstanding academic papers demonstrate the best work by CityU's ideal graduates in terms of creativity and academic insight."

Dennis, a Year 2 student on the MA in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution programme, won an award with his research paper "Can Online Arbitration Thrive in Hong Kong?"

Dennis said: "It's very encouraging to have our work archived in the University's Institutional Repository. I hope my paper will trigger more research on this topic."

When preparing his paper, he drew on his work experience with the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and received valuable comments from his professors and fellow students. Through the OAPS, he looks forward to more feedback from his peers. "I hope the OAPS will add more interactive functions on the system for the University community to exchange ideas," he said.

Another winner Mr Ricky Lau, a Year 2 student on the MSc in Finance programme, said his paper on Hang Seng Index Constituents was a group project and he was excited that his team's research output would be disseminated to fellow students on campus and researchers worldwide. He thanked the Library for facilitating the transmission of knowledge and said he hoped OAPS would benefit more students in the future.

The Library established the OAPS collection in the CityU Institutional Repository as part of its digital initiatives launched in February 2006. The CityU Library Digital Initiatives comprise a range of digital online databases, including theses, dissertations, and student projects and awards.

The nine OAPS winning papers are now on display in the Library Lobby. Other work exhibited includes student work that has won external awards and papers that have received outstanding research theses awards.