The online platform “DeFacto – more than opinions” – a summary
The platform DeFacto – more than opinions (ISSN 2297-6353) seeks to present interesting findings from university research, along with expert knowledge from political science and related disciplines, such as law or economics, to a broader audience. By providing independent, scientific analysis, the platform thus helps to contextualise political and social events and foster a deeper understanding of them.
The articles published on DeFacto are short and easy to understand while adhering to scientific standards such as transparency, clear argumentation, and nuanced analysis. Sources and references, especially for articles containing empirical analyses, are made available to readers. Published results must be understandable and replicable.
In addition to the articles, supplementary materials – including links to datasets, extended analyses, and research papers – are made accessible through the platform. Compliance with these criteria is central to maintaining the platform’s credibility and relevance among both researchers and the general public.
Target Audience
DeFacto is an information platform that provides scientifically robust content in a journalistic style, aimed at key stakeholders in the media, public administration, associations, NGOs, politics, and research. Many DeFacto readers serve as gatekeepers, meaning that articles published on the platform are cited in the public media or provide the impetus for further discussions.
Publication Requirements
Authors should submit their manuscripts in minimally formatted text documents, as the text will be directly transferred to the platform’s CMS. Any special design requests can be communicated to the editorial team.
To ensure clarity and readability, the editorial team may suggest linguistic or structural revisions and may also request clarification on content-related matters. Once the text has been edited, it is returned to the authors for review, with suggested changes and questions, before publication.
After editing, the contribution is transferred to the platform’s CMS by the editorial team. If no changes are required, the author will be informed via e-mail before publication. Contributions are only published after receiving the author‘s final approval.
Text Design
The contributions on DeFacto are not scientific articles as they target an educated but non-scientific audience. As such, the language used should follow the conventions of journalistic and popular science writing. Please adhere to the following structure and instructions when drafting your contribution:
- Title and subtitle: Choose an engaging, teaser-style title and use subtitles throughout your article. The title should highlight an intriguing result from your research and may be formulated in a catchy style.
- Lead: (approx. 500 characters incl. spaces) The lead should provide a stimulating overview, not a summary. Introduce the topic and present the research question clearly, without making the article itself. Emphasise the strengths of your findings while keeping it brief.
- Main points: Avoid a chronological summary of your research. Instead, focus on one or two key findings that you wish to discuss in detail.
- Text structure: Break your text into many short sections with clear subtitles. Since this is an online publication, many readers will read your article on a smartphone.
- Brevity: Be concise but ensure sufficient detail is provided. Aim for clarity and impact.
- Avoid Jargon: Keep the main text accessible by avoiding technical language. Key terms and methodology can be explained in separate info boxes.
- Social Media Teaser: If possible, draft a brief teaser (max. 500 characters incl. spaces) and a tweet (max. 140 characters incl. spaces) for promoting your article on social media platforms.
Graphs and Visualisations
All Graphs and illustrations are replicated by the editorial team to align with the platform’s design. The final versions are submitted to the author(s) for approval before publication.
- Graphs: To ensure consistent replication of graphs and illustrations, please submit all visual materials in their original formats (e.g., xlsx, ppt, svg, ai, psd), along with the necessary data for replication. Share only the minimal data needed to recreate the graph, not the full analysis. We primarily use R for data-based graphs, so R-scripts are especially appreciated.
- Additional Visualisations: If you would like the editorial team to create new or additional graphs or illustrations for your article, please contact us in advance.
- Featured Image: Your article will be featured with a primary image or graphic on our website. If you have a suitable image, please provide it, ensuring it complies with copyright laws.
Citations, References, and Info Boxes
As you prepare your contribution, certain adaptations may be necessary to maintain readability and accessibility when transitioning from a scientific format to an online format.
- Methodology: Only include methodological details in the main text if they are central to the topic. Otherwise, they should be placed in dedicated info boxes.
- Footnotes: Minimise the use of footnotes. Integrate additional information into the main text or remove it if unnecessary.
- Citations: Use citations sparingly (DeFacto articles are based on scientific research but are not scientific texts in the strict sense), focusing only on essential sources to ensure scientific integrity.
- Hyperlinks: References and sources can also be embedded as hyperlinks.
- Online Publications: For references to online content, include the title, the base URL, and the full path to the specific documents.
- Bibliographic Details: Provide the full bibliographic details of the scientific text or report your DeFacto article is based on, and a link will be included where possible.
Author Details
If you are contributing to DeFacto for the first time, please provide the following information. If you are a returning author, kindly review your biographical details on the site and notify us of any changes.
- Full name
- Academic title and current function(s)
- Institutional affiliation
- Contact details (mailing address, email, phone number, office number, if applicable)
- Personal website and social media handles (e.g., Twitter/X, LinkedIn, if applicable)
- Short biography (max. one sentence), including research interests
- Portrait photo (digital, min. 300 dpi or 1.5 MB)
Content Sharing
If you, as an author, prefer that your DeFacto article not be published by one of our content-sharing partners or on our social media channels, please inform us before your article is published on DeFacto.
- Content partners: DeFacto has content-sharing partnerships with swissinfo.ch and NCCR on the move. Occasionally, articles originally published on DeFacto may also be published on our partners’ websites. Partners independently select articles relevant to their platforms.
- Social Media: We promote new articles across our social media platforms to broaden their reach. If you have social media profiles, feel free to share them with us, and we will tag you when your article is posted. If you prefer not to be tagged or have your article shared on social media, please let us know in advance
- Other Media: Approximately one in five articles published on DeFacto are picked up by other media outlets, often without prior consultation. The DeFacto editorial team does not control the content of articles in other media that material originally published on DeFacto
Key Information
- Journalistic responsibility: Editorial Board, Editorial Office
- Funding:
- Publication format: Exclusively online, defacto.expert
- Promotion channels: X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky, and LinkedIn.
- Languages: Articles are published in German, French, and Italian. Articles in English are accepted only if a translation into at least one of the three main languages is published simultaneously.