Promoting young Academics

Doctoral degrees at the DIPF

With the exception of the Libraries, all of the Centers offer an opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree. As a rule, the doctoral thesis is closely connected to a project context. Projects are in most cases designed to allow for one or more doctoral sstudents as well as the co-ordinator.  These posts are generally advertised to the public, on the DIPF website and in the journal “Die Zeit”. Anyone with the appropriate degree, prior experience and an interest in the pertinent topic  can apply. The directors of the respective Centers supervise the dissertations. It is also possible to delegate the doctoral supervision to a qualified adviser.

To supplement their training as scientists, the doctoral students are encouraged to participate in congresses and other events aimed at an exchange of ideas among scientists. They are further promoted as regards publishing and presenting papers. In this context, a linkage to international scientific communities is rendered possible.

Knowledge management

Research at the DIPF is generally project-based. Projects are often funded by external bodies and they are conducted in co-operation with external partners. Apart from delivering genuine research, the projects require extensive co-ordination measures, most of which are performed by the project co-ordinators. In agreement with their superiors, the project co-ordinators hold responsible for

• the management and monitoring of the project ,
• its planning and governance
• communication between all persons participating in the project
• external communication of the project
• reporting
• managing and controlling the budget
• publications and other products

In many cases, the project co-ordinators are postdocs who wish to acquire a profile in the area of knowledge management in addition to their scientific qualification, thus tapping additional career paths.

Training as Information Specialist

Begin/duration/placements

This further training course always begins on January 1.

For more information please contact: Tamara Massar. Please send your written application before August 31, 2010 with the usual documents preferably in electronic format (ruppert@dipf.de) and quoting the reference number IZB 2010/01 to: Direktor des DIPF, Prof. Dr. Marc Rittberger, Postfach 900270, 60442 Frankfurt am Main

Entry requirements

• completed higher education course (preferably in the area of pedagogy/ educational sciences or the social and human sciences) with one of the following degrees: Magister, Diplom (university), Staatsexamen or Master,
• a sound handling of computers and the Internet,
• a good command of English, further language skills are an advantage
• ability to work independently and in a team, communicative skills.

Initial experience in the documentation, library or archive sector is an advantage.

Selection process

Please send your application by 31 August of the preceding year. Applicants are acceptedd for practical ttraining at the placement following an interview. The IID, responsible for theoretical instruction, accepts students on the basis of their written application and enclosed documents.

Training subjects

The first year of the training course is oriented towards the acquisition of documentation skills. To this end, the Information Center for Education provides the following:

• a general institutional and professional introduction, the scene of documentation at home and abroad,
• librarian activities (acquisition, indexing, classification, management of periodicals, loan),
• documentation tasks (selection of documents, indexing and abstracting of printed and online resources, documentation of newspapers, thesaurus and other classification systems, design of databases, data administration, information delivery and search), co-operations, public relations

In the second year, practical and theoretical training modules are interlocked. While the skills acquired during the first year are enhanced and improved, the Information Center for Education offers trainees an opportunity to focus their work on a particular project or area, depending on the Center’s requirements, personal interests and the topic selected for the dissertation. An external practice period or a practical training period abroad are optional, and trainees can also take part in further training seminars, fairs or other events.

Theoretical training is delivered by the Institute for Information and Documentation (IID) in Potsdam, which provides ten weeks of en bloc training in the areas of:

• Fundamental aspects of information science,
• Indexing and abstracting,
• Information Retrieval,
• Business and Information Technology- basics for Information Specialists,
• Basic principles of Business Management for Information Specialists.

The course leads to a final exam, which consists of a dissertation and an oral exam.

For more information, see: Institut für Information und Dokumentation (IID) (Please do not send your application to the IID!)

Fees: the course in Potsdam is subject to a fee of 3900 €, in addition you will need to consider travel and accommodation expenses.

During your training, you will receive a monthly payment of  50% TV-H EG 9 and the DIPF will pay for your course fees.