The aim of this website is to bring together different stakeholders in the field of social research in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and introduce to dialogue - but also to the public discourse - various views, opinions and perspectives on the current status and condition of social science research, the shortcomings of existing policies in this area, as well as the possibilities of their improvement.
TEXT FORMAT
In cooperation with editors, and in order to cover not only a variety of topics, but also different approaches to discussing certain topics, texts can be published in one of the following formats:
- Policy brief
- Policy memorandum
- Discussion paper
- Working paper
- Interview
- Blog post
Short description of format:
1. Policy Brief (2000‒4000 words): A policy brief is based on research results, which provide the basis for discussion of certain public policies. Therefore, a policy brief is written on the basis of a previously conducted policy research or policy analysis, with the intention to argumentatively point to the failures of existing policies and possibilities of their improvement by defined recommendations. Recommendations which the authors offer at the end of a policy brief should be more comprehensive and provide insight into the ways of their implementation and the results which would follow.
2. Policy Memorandum (1000‒2000 words): The policy memorandum format implies an argumentative and systematically exposed policy proposal created by one or more authors, based on international standards, research results and other available relevant data and information. A policy memorandum should be based on facts, but also persuasive enough to achieve the necessary influence on the decision/makers and the general public. An important element of a policy memorandum is the comparative perspective, therefore authors should offer insight into best-practice examples in the local community, the region or the world, whether covering relevant policies or specific institutions. Finally, authors of policy memoranda should, based on the exposed data, define general recommendations addressed to decision-makers.
3. Discussion paper (2000‒4000 words): The purpose of a discussion paper is to start a discussion about a view or standpoint, with the intention of offering a different perspective on a particular subject or refute an earlier hypothesis. In addition, the discussion paper author can polemically include a number of different perspectives, with the ultimate purpose of selecting the one they consider to be the most theoretically grounded or most convincing. This format does not require research to be conducted, rather, it is based on the use and interpretation of different sources, theoretical concepts and research findings.
4. Working paper (up to 8000 words): A working paper represents a published research draft, that is, the first presentation of the study findings. In this sense, the final published study may significantly differ from the version published as a working paper. In this format, it is necessary to present the research or analysis results and base the argumentation solely on facts.
5. Interview (up to 4000 words): An interview is conducted with prominent experts in certain fields or relevant stakeholders in the field of policy research in the social sciences. The choice of interview subjects is made according to the criteria of relevance, and prior to the interview it is important that the interviewer is familiar with the work of the subject and their professional or scientific contributions on the basis of which their views and opinions become relevant. Authors (interviewers) are required to devise a draft set of questions to be sent to editors for approval.
6. Blog posts (800‒1800 words): The purpose of blog posts is processing of significant and/or current issues in a simple and concise manner, so as to bring them closer to a wider audience. Posts should be clear and concise, and considering that they are targeting different audiences, they should remain in the publicist domain, avoiding overloading the text with professional terms and explanations. This format emphasizes authorship, personal style and contribution of the author. Therefore, it is possible to, except in impersonal form, and write in first-person singular, while certain views can be supported by personal experiences, anecdotes and the like.
a. Analysis – Analytical posts in which the author, during the presentation, primarily relies on facts and data upon which they draw relevant conclusions. In this type of text the aim is to avoid the use of unverifiable information or personal attitudes which are not a result of scientific considerations. If this text allows, it is desirable that the author defines short recommendations or guidelines for certain policy changes, but such recommendations should be generalized and without more detailed explanation of ways of their implementation or the effects they would produce.
b. Comments – Authors aim to express their opinion or judgment on an issue in comments, relying primarily on their views and knowledge, but supporting them with facts, data, other sources and the like. When compared to an analysis, this type of post requires greater persuasiveness and allows a slightly higher subjective intonation of the text.
c. Recommendations – Recommendations are a type of post in which the authors use their knowledge and expertise as the basis to elaborate reasoned recommendations for solving a specific problem or modifying existing policies, pointing to the expected outcomes in the case of applying the proposed recommendations. In this type of post, the author relies on facts and knowledge in a given field and minimizes the role of their comments, whose function is not to explain part of the recommendations (the use of anecdotes, emotion, etc. for the purpose of advocating the proposal is avoided).
TEXT STRUCTURE AND FORMAL DOCUMENT CHARACTERISTICS
When writing a text, authors should follow the principles of clear, structured and analytical writing (editors are obliged to initially e-mail the authors "Principles of Analytical Writing").
Each text must be a completely original work of the author and must not contain parts of previously published publications of the author, unless otherwise agreed with the editorial board. In the latter case, all used parts of earlier texts must contain a reference to the original texts.
The authors submit the complete text, including properly listed references, additional elements (tables, charts, pictures, etc.) and a title proposal to the editors.
The text should be submitted in .doc or .docx format, and the title of the file must include the author's full name and date of sending the text to the editors.
In shorter, blog formats, such as blog posts or interviews, it is necessary to use:
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Times New Roman (use it consistently, in the title, body and additional elements of the text);
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Font size - 14 for the title, 13 for subheadings, 11 for the text and 10 for the additional elements of the text (tables, charts, pictures, etc.);
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Headings and subheadings should be in bold;
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The titles of charts, tables, images, etc. should be written in bold and italic;
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Spacing between rows is 1.0, while one space must be used between paragraphs and in font size 11;
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Text should be aligned (justify), without indentation of the first sentence in a paragraph.
All used sources should be properly listed at the end of the text (endnotes) or via hyperlink.
- Endnotes: It is recommended to reduce the use of endnotes as much as possible, and therefore it is suggested to integrate the source data in the text. For all used sources that are not available on the web, it is necessary to give full bibliographic record in accordance with one of the following standards:
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Hyperlinks: For sources available on the web it is necessary to use hyperlinks. Therefore, the author should submit to the editors a list of all of the sources from the web in the form of the URL of the original website, highlighting the parts of the text related to certain sources (it is recommended to use footnotes to indicate quoted or paraphrased portions of text).
Along with the submitted texts, it is necessary to submit a short biography (100-300 words), containing the required information on the author’s title, position, education, professional engagement and scientific and research interest fields, as well as a photograph of a medium or high resolution. It is advisable and desirable that authors submit the URL of their own LinkedIn and Twitter profiles, e-mail address on which readers can contact them, and in the case that author has a private blog or website, the URL of the blog/website.
WORK WITH THE EDITORIAL BOARD AND COPYRIGHT
Work with the editorial board: Before being published on the website, texts must be editorially revised, subedited and proofread. The editorial policy is generally defined, wholly following guidelines set out in the "Instructions for Authors". The author, in agreement with the editorial board, chooses one of the offered thematic frameworks and sends the proposed topics for the consideration to the editorial board. After approval of the topic, the authors submit the first draft in two weeks in case of shorter format, or as agreed with the editorial board in case of longer formats. Editors return the text to the author with comments, suggestions and proposed corrections, as many times as needed to obtain a final version ready for publication on the website. By accepting to write the text, the authors undertake to respect and follow the "Instructions for Authors" and editorial comments and interventions.
Copyright: By submitting the commissioned text or work to editorial board, the right to access the content, distribution and publication, is equally shared by the author of the text and Analitika - Center for Social Research. Analitika has the right to publish whole or part of the content in other media as well as in other formats, as decided by the editorial board of the website and Analitika. The author may also publish the submitted text or work in other media or on a private blog without written permission of Analitika, but with clearly stated reference and link to the original text.
Contact: PolicyHub can be contacted by e-mail at info@policyhub.net.