FAQs

Do I have to register/sign-up to use the website?

No. The website search (basic or advanced) is available to any site visitor. Registration is only necessarily if you would like to be a listed scholar in the database.

Who can sign up to be a listed scholar on this website?

Although there are many excellent women experts in all fields and areas, this particular website is limited to scholars who identify as women who study political science. In particular, we list Ph.D. candidates in political science, political science Ph.D.s employed in academic departments at colleges and universities, and Ph.Ds from other areas employed in or affiliated with political science departments at colleges and universities (including schools of public policy and international relations).

Within this category of people, anyone who is interested in being listed on the website can sign up via the “Become a Listed Scholar” link. People do not receive invitations to sign up, they are not selected to sign up and the Executive Committee does not choose who appears on the website. Any woman scholar who meets the above sign-up criteria can be listed on this website.  If you do not see a scholar who fits the sign-up criteria listed on this website, it is only because she has not signed up.

I know of a scholar that could be listed on this site. Can I sign them up?

No. To protect people’s privacy, we only allow individuals to create a single account to post/update information. We encourage you, however, to reach out to people that you think should be listed on this site and encourage them to join.

I do not want to be contacted by the media. Can I still be on this website?

Yes!  The sign-up form allows you to note whether you want to be contacted by the media. If you do not wish to be contacted, simply select “no media.”

Do you have any suggestions for my profile?

Your profile is your chance to describe your research interests in your own words. We suggest you use this space to discuss your research in a way that is accessible to people who may not be experts in your specific area of work. In particular, you may want to describe your research in a way that will be engaging to people from other areas of political science, and if you are interested, journalists and other members of the media.

We also suggest that you make your keywords terms that other people will know, understand, and may be likely to enter in a search field.

And finally, we suggest you add a picture!

I signed up for this website at some point, and I meet all the criteria for being listed. Why am I not listed anywhere?

If you signed up for the website, and you meet all the criteria for being listed (see the first question on this FAQ page for these criteria) there may be three reasons why you do not appear anywhere on this website.

First, it is possible that you were listed on our old website under an incorrect email address or affiliation. If that was the case, you may never have received an email about the transition to the new website and your temporary account expired due to inactivity. If so, you can simply sign up again through the current site.

Second, if you did receive an email about transitioning to the new website, but never logged in to your account after receiving that email, your temporary account may have expired due to inactivity. If that is the case, you can also sign up again on the current site.

Third, you may have begun the sign-up process but never completed the basic required information (e.g. university, PhD status, research areas, etc.). If this is the case, please login to your account and complete your profile.

I did not sign up to be part of this but my name appears on this website. Why am I listed?

This website began, years ago, as a crowdsourced website, which means that people were able to add any names they wanted to the website. Someone likely added you because they believed you are an expert in a field. The current website no longer allows people to add other people. If you are currently on the website and wish to be removed, please contact an administrator at contact@womenalsoknowstuff.com.

I would like to be removed from this website. How can I do that?

An administrator can remove you from the website. Please contact an administrator at contact@womenalsoknowstuff.com.

I am having a technical issue with this website, what should I do?

Please email support at contact@womenalsoknowstuff.com.

I listed myself as being available to speak to the media. Does that mean I have to respond to every media request I receive?

We understand that you cannot answer every request that you receive. We suggest that if you do list yourself as being available to speak to the media you do respond to the initial media contact and, if you cannot /do not want to offer any comments on a topic, that you suggest a different scholar (or at least let the journalist know that you will not be able to offer any comments).

What do I do if a journalist contacts me?

Based on our experience (and the experiences we’ve heard from other scholars listed on Women Also Know Stuff), the bulk of the contacts will be from journalists and other writers working in print or web media.  Contacts from radio outlets are more rare, and contacts from television outlets are even more infrequent. If you are contacted by someone working on a story (news story, feature, op-ed, etc), we can make the following suggestions (note: these are suggestions based on our personal experiences, you may encounter others who have different suggestions):

  • Reply to the initial form of contact in a prompt manner. You will likely be contacted via email, but you may also be contacted via your Twitter account (if you have one).  Since people who are putting together stories are often on a deadline, a prompt reply is likely helpful to them, even if (maybe especially if) you will be replying to say you’re unavailable.  We understand that you may not be able to reply right away! Just reply when you can!
  • In some cases, if you take longer to reply the journalist may have moved on to another source. This is most likely to happen on fast-moving news stories.
  • If you are contacted, it is okay to ask some questions of the journalist to determine if you are interested/comfortable being part of the story.  You may ask, for example, if this is an opinion piece and if your comments will be used to bolster/support some claim or argument (and what that claim/argument may be).
  • If you do not want to be part of the story, simply let the journalist know so that they can move on to another source. If you can think of another person who might be interested in contributing, recommend that person.
  • Sometimes you will see the initial contact from the journalist only after their stated deadline time (i.e. the initial message says their deadline for this story is 5 p.m. E.T. Wednesday, but you only see the message at 7 p.m. E.T. Wednesday). You can let the journalist know that you missed their email, but you can note (if this is the case) that you are still available if they want to do any follow-ups on the story in the future.
  • You can ask the journalist to identify you in a certain way.  The journalist will likely identify you by your position and university (i.e. Assistant Professor at [University]). You can ask the journalist to also identify you as the author of a book or a director of a center.
  • If you are asked to comment on a topic that is very much outside your area of expertise,  you can tell the journalist that this is outside your research area — but give a description of your particular research area in case they are doing a story in the future.
  • In all your contacts with journalists, unless you specify that something you say is “off the record” (meaning they cannot quote you in their piece) or “without attribution” (meaning they can quote you but without naming you)” AND the journalist agrees to these terms, be prepared for them to quote you and to attribute that quote to you by name.

I am a journalist. I contacted a number of experts from this website who said they were available for media contact and none of them would speak to me. What should I do?

If this has been your experience with the website, please email the Executive Committee at contact@womenalsoknowstuff.com.

Are there similar websites in other fields?

Yes. We have a growing list of related initiatives here.

I want to recruit women to apply for a job or post doc. How can Women Also Know Stuff help?

We love that you’re wanting to recruit women!  We encourage you to use the website to search for scholars in the appropriate sub-field, and reach out to them directly to invite them to apply.  You should also, of course, advertise the opportunity widely, including on Twitter. However, we have developed a general policy of not sharing job opportunities, since (a) there are so many of these, our promotion of them would be noisy for our followers, and (b) after being inundated with such requests when we first launched, it became clear that some people were tagging us as a way of checking a diversity box. We believe recruitment is important, and tagging us is not a replacement for actual thoughtful efforts at diverse recruitment.

I love what you’re doing with Women Also Know Stuff. How can I help?

Thanks! The best way for you to help is to spread the word: Tell other women political scientists about the website so they can sign up, and most of all encourage your colleagues, co-authors, friends, and authors of papers you’re reviewing (both male and female -- we’re all susceptible to implicit bias) to consult the site when developing syllabi, speaker series, conferences, etc., and especially when citing others’ research in their own work. Also, check out https://sites.google.com/view/pocexperts/home.  And if you’re still keen to help out and you have some extra pennies in the piggy bank, we’re always happy to take donations to help with the cost of swag, etc. Email us at contact@womenalsoknowstuff.com.

These were all great questions, but mine is not among them! Who do I contact?

We are always happy to hear your comments, concerns, and suggestions! Please email us at contact@womenalsoknowstuff.com and one of our friendly Executive Committee members will get right back to you!