Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences

The aim of our annual and contiuing survey is to publish a complete inventory of Swiss social research. We invite all researchers to contribute to this aim, asking you for communication of planned, current or recently completed research or evaluation projects.

For this survey, we distinguish 2 types of documentation, depending on the state of registration in our database: New entries (researches not yet registered in our database), and Updates (researches already registered that need to be updated or completed - especially at the end of a project)

Capturing and transfer of documentations is based on a partially structured questionnaire, and can be done online or offline (e-mail).

check the online database for registered projects search if your project is already in our database.

update an existing project documentation use this link for projects already registered in our inventory.

register a new project documentation for projects not yet registered in our database. Also use this link for new projects you saved intermediately.

view / save the french or german questionnaire (PDF) as a template for offline capturing

transfer by e-mail attach your offline document to an e-mail

Planned, current or completed research projects of theoretical as well as empirical orientation from all areas of the social sciences just as projects from other fields as long as they treat a social scientific aspect. Included are also doctoral and postdoctoral theses, however no seminar or diploma papers.

The current registration period started on November 10th, 2008 and has its closing date on December 19th, 2008. But it is also possible to send new projects or updates of existing descriptions to FORS all year through.

The researcher has to fill in a form (name, first name, e-mail) and will then be transferred to the FORS questionnaire. A temporary project-number will be distributed to the new description. The capture can be interrupted at any moment. The temporary project number is necessary to re-enter the questionnaire.

It is still possible to send the information to FORS via e-mail. For further information please consult the printed version of the questionnaire (in French or German).

It is possible to send updates of existing descriptions to FORS all year through. Especially important is the information about results (question 9) and publications resulting form the research (question 11/12). Also the ending date of the project is important and should be updated. SIDOS sends out update requests three times a year which are based on this ending date.

There are three possibilities to update:

1. Online, for smaller and also more important changes.
2. E-mail, for smaller and also more substantial updates. Any word processing programme can be used, the printed version (F/D) of the questionnaire offers help in case of questions.
3. Handwritten corrections, for smaller updates. Those corrections can be made either on the printout that FORS has sent to the researchers, or on a printed version of the description from the online database.

The research inventory is searchable/accessible via the internet and being updated regularly.

SIDOS is co-operating with several institutions, which are also recording research projects. The aim of this co-operation is the exchange of information. The researchers have to fill in only one questionnaire, instead of several ones.

The following institutions obtain their research information from FORS, it is therefore advisable for researchers to answer the FORS questionnaire:

The Center for Security Studies - CSS

The Swiss Forum for Migration Studies - SFM

FORS obtains research information from the Swiss Co-ordination Centre for Research in Education - SCCRE , it is therefore not necessary for researchers to answer the FORS questionnaire:

The results of the FORS annual survey (new projects and updates) are being integrated into the database SOFIS of the GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences in Bonn on a regular basis.