FAQ – General Information

In the summer of 2018, the concept phase (including clarification of responsibilities, creation of a project structure plan and definition of the databases) began, followed by the preparation and the test phase (including information and communication with the institutions and projects involved in the project, installation of the software, preparation and implementation of short training courses and providing information to the deaneries and the senate). After this block was completed in November 2019, the pilot phase began in the 2019/2020 winter semester in faculties 08 and 01.

We are currently in the implementation phase. The data generation (information, data preparation, data coordination and content filling of the software) of all departments and the establishment of a "help desk" takes place. In the winter semester 2021/2022, a system of research reporting will be established, which includes the consolidation of the report-relevant data in the JGU data warehouse as well as the creation of basic reports and the development and provision of key figures.

Research information is metadata which provides information on the research activity of individual researchers as well as entire research institutions. According to the German Core Data Set, information on employees and doctoral students, as well as on publications, grants, doctoral programmes, and research prizes and awards is included.

The term research information must be differentiated from the term research data, which refers to the direct output created by research activity. For more information regarding research data and research data management at JGU, please click here.

The German Core Data Set (Kerndatensatz Forschung, KDSF) is a national standard developed in order to harmonize the collection and maintenance of research information in the German research system. The Spezifikation des Kerndatensatz Forschung (Specification of the German Core Data Set, version 1.0, link in German) was drawn up after a three-year project phase and was recommended for implementation in the German research system by the Wissenschaftsrat in January 2016.

Current Research Information Systems are web-based software solutions which serve to record and collect research information, as well as support individual researchers’ work processes and extend and construct university-wide research reporting.

You can find further information on the introduction and function of Current Research Information Systems in higher education institutions and research institutes in the DINI AG FIS position paper (link in German).

Gutenberg Research Elements is JGU’s Current Research Information System. The software allows researchers to always have an overview of their own research activities, connect with colleagues within JGU, and use the collected information for various purposes (support when applying for grants or allowance, portrayal of own research achievements on personal websites, etc.).

You can find further information on the integration of publication lists on websites here.

In addition to general functions such as:

• Individually configurable and automated integration of metadata from external bibliographic data sources
• Import of publication lists
• Connecting publications with every involved author and other databases (grants, research awards, etc.)
• Personal management tools requiring minor manual acquisition effort
• JGU-internal research tool
• Independent data upkeep when using the delegation function
• Export of research information for different purposes: Support when applying for grants, allowance, searching for cooperation partners, applying for reassignment of professorships, documentation of one’s own research achievements, informational basis for faculty reports, etc.

the main benefit is the automated integration of publication lists from personal websites and faculty or institute homepages.

You can find further information on the integration of publication lists on websites here.

The German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat, WR) points out that systems established on the market have a number of advantages regarding their operation, maintenance, and expansion possibilities when compared to programs developed in-house. Furthermore, internal factors such as the lack of capacity for the development of such a program at JGU also played a role. After comparing the software solutions available, university management agreed to follow the recommendation from the University Library (UB) and the Data Center (ZDV) to purchase the software.

The software solution Symplectic Elements allows for extensive network creation and automation of data acquisition.

Currently, Gutenberg Research Elements can collect and connect information on publications and patents (Gublications Module), grants from MACH (Grants Module), doctoral programmes at JGU, as well as distinctions (Professional Activities Module).

Based on need, capacity and technical feasibility an expansion of the data areas is planned.

Before your first login, your profile is only shown with your name. Further information will only be visible to others on your profile page once you have actively changed your search settings and/or added publications, grants, or other research information to your profile. You can edit your profile by clicking ‘Edit your Profile’ on the welcome page. You can add a brief introductory text, your previous experiences, and a photo to your profile. By clicking on ‘View Profile’, you can see your profile as other users would.

In order to search for an entry, please open the drop-down menu and select  “Reporting” → “Search”  and “System Search”.

For example, if you know the title or reference number for a grant project, you can enter that information in the search window. For a broader search, choose the ‚Advanced’ search option. You can limit your search step by step and view entries to different research information. Don’t forget to check the box for ‘Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz’ before beginning your search.

On the left panel of the window, select the "Profile" button. There you will be directed to your profile page. With the feature "Find a colleague" you can search for colleagues who are employed by the JGU.

It can happen that on some browsers texts on Gutenberg Research Elements or on other websites are displayed in a rather clumsy sounding German. This may occur when using Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.

For example, sections of the start message in Gutenberg Research Elements were translated by one browser as follows:

„Es wird dazu geführt, dass nur für Ihre Publikationssuche relevant sind. Auf diese Weise kann das Mehrfacherscheinen zusätzliche Veröffentlichung aussichtsbezogene Datenbanken führen und die Verlässlichkeit der Suchenden werden.“.

Such strange wordings are usually the result of the automatic translations of your browser. You can easily configure your language settings on your browser to avoid this. How to do this in Microsoft Edge is explained as follows.

1. Please open the settings via the three dots placed next to each other. Alternatively, you can use the key combination ALT + F.
2. Now select "Einstellungen".
3. In the new window, click on "Sprachen" on the left side of the screen.
4. Under the category "Bevorzugte Sprachen", set off the option "Anbieten, Seiten zu übersetzen, die in keiner von Ihnen gelesenen Sprachen verfügbar sind" to deactivate the automatic translation function.