News from PolluxNew Content: Publications from Research InstitutionsThanks to our collaboration with the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik - German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), we are increasingly able to include so-called "grey literature" in Pollux. Grey literature refers to non-commercially published materials, including studies or working papers from non-university research institutions and think tanks. Many of these works are freely accessible on the web, yet they are often hard to find. |
The SWP has developed a process for web scraping (i.e. extracting content and data from websites using software) for the publications of 50 important think tanks. |
| | Pollux Publication in ZPol - Journal of Political ScienceMichael Czolkoß-Hettwer, Paula Lein, and Philipp Mayr from Pollux have published an open-access article in the Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft (Journal of Political Science), critically examining the challenges and potential of research infrastructure policy in Germany, specifically regarding the DFG-funded specialized information service Pollux. Like research funding, support for research infrastructure is heavily shaped by third-party funding, which, while promoting innovation, often endangers the stability and sustainability of research infrastructure. This, in turn, has negative effects on the optimal conditions for scientific work. To learn more about the role of researchers in this context and how Pollux supports political scientists, read here: Challenges and Potential of Research Infrastructure Funding in Germany: The Example of the Specialized Information Service for Political Science. Czolkoß-Hettwer, M., Lein, P. & Mayr, P - Z Politikwiss (2024) | | | Pollux on LinkedIn |
| | New Webinar: Policy Monitoring and Analysis Tool Polit-X |
In collaboration with Polit-X, we are offering a 45-minute introductory webinar on Polit-X on November 7 at 1:00 PM |
The session will cover searching through millions of up-to-date political documents at the federal, state, and European levels, as well as exploring analysis options. There will be ample time for questions. Please feel free to register using the following link: | | Participation is free. A PLUS account with Pollux is required to use Polit-X. | | Open SciencePublishing in Crisis? The Open Access Panel by Pollux at the DVPW ConventionFrom September 24-27, the 29th DVPW Convention on "Politics in Polycrisis" took place in Göttingen. Pollux organized a panel, “Open Access in Political Science: Opportunities and Risks Amid Dysfunctional Market Structures,” moderated by Dirk Jörke, to discuss why, despite the rise in open access publications, scientific knowledge remains not fully accessible and which solutions might exist. Michael Czolkoß-Hettwer (Pollux) highlighted in his talk that this situation is partly due to rising APCs and the oligopoly of the academic publishing market, dominated by major international publishers. He sees great potential in the Diamond Open Access model, which incurs no costs for authors. Unfortunately, Katharina Ganz (FU Berlin) had to cancel on short notice. She would have delved into the Diamond Open Access approach and introduced the community-driven model of the Open Gender Journal, which bypasses commercial providers, relies on public funding, and encourages the academic community to take responsibility for the publication infrastructure. Franziska Heenes (USB Cologne) presented the concept of Open Peer Review as a new approach to the quality assurance of academic articles, along with the currently developing Socios platform. Unlike the anonymous blind peer review, this open process makes both authors and reviewers visible, enhancing the efficiency of the review process and making reviews citable. Open Peer Review thus better contributes to the reputation of volunteer reviewers. Addressing research assessment indicators like the Journal Impact Factor, Marcel Wrzesinski (HU Berlin) emphasized in his talk the importance of making various academic contributions, not just journal publications, citable in order to recognize productivity. To overcome the limits of traditional bibliometrics, he proposed the establishment of alternative metrics, such as the share of open access publications or the impact of science communication in social media and blogs. The presentation slides from the panel (german only) are available on Zenodo: | | | For more Open Access in Political ScienceMichael Czolkoß-Hettwer from Pollux was asked in the DVPW HotSeat for his views on the role of Open Access in political science. You can watch his one-minute statement from the DVPW Congress here: | | | | | Pollux, that is…Who are the people behind Pollux? In each newsletter, we introduce one person from the Pollux team to get to know us a little better. Jacob Chilinski |
Hello, I am Jacob Chilinski, and since October 2024, I have been representing Dr. Michael Czolkoß-Hettwer, together with Regina Pfeifenberger, during his parental leave as project coordination at Pollux. My main responsibility is to continue the ongoing projects and processes of Pollux. This includes promoting Open Science, designing and conducting training sessions and workshops, as well as engaging with the academic community. |
What I find particularly exciting about working in the Pollux project is the opportunity to work in a research-oriented and supportive way and to contribute to an optimal research infrastructure for political science. At the DVPW Convention in Göttingen at the end of September, I was also able to take away some exciting impressions and suggestions for my new tasks. Previously, I completed my library traineeship, which is the preparatory service for working as an academic librarian, at the State and University Library of Bremen. This experience has made me familiar with Pollux and the team behind it, and I am looking forward to our collaboration. My academic background is in religious studies, with a focus on the sociology of religion, as well as in history. After completing my master's degree, I worked as a research associate on a qualitative study of anti-Muslim racism in Christian media on behalf of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. Additionally, I have contributed to projects in political education. To create a balance to my desk job, I like to stay active after work—whether at the gym or cycling. I also play the drums, have an interest in analog photography, spend time with my cat, or meet friends to play cards, go swimming at the lake, or go to the cinema when it's cold. |
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