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Workshop: Advanced Data Wrangling with R (November 11, 2026)

Methods Lab

The Methods Lab is happy to announce the workshop Advanced Data Wrangling with R, led by Roland Toth (WI). The single-day workshop will take place at the Weizenbaum Institute on Wednesday, November 11.

Building on foundational knowledge, this workshop dives deep into the power of R for transforming raw, messy data into clean, structured information. Participants will explore the potential of the tidyverse ecosystem, learn efficient data manipulation with dplyr and the pipe operator, advanced string processing using regular expressions, and creating reusable functions to automate repetitive tasks. A key highlight is the integration of Quarto, which allows to generate fully reproducible reports directly from code. Whether you’re working with survey responses, longitudinal data, or complex text, this workshop equips you with the tools to streamline your data wrangling workflow and ensure reproducibility from start to finish.

Beginner to intermediate experience with R or another programming language, and a basic understanding of descriptive statistics, are required.

Seats are limited to 20 participants. For more details, visit the event page!

Workshop recap: Visualizing Situatedness – Situational Analysis through Maps and Collages

Methods Lab

On October 8, 2026, Franziska Zirker (Weizenbaum Institute) hosted the workshop “Visualizing Situatedness – Situational Analysis through Maps and Collages” at the Weizenbaum Institute. This creative, hands-on session introduced participants to situational analysis as a qualitative research approach and explored how visual mapping and collage-making can help researchers reflect on the complexity of the situations they study.

In the first part, participants received a theoretical introduction to situational analysis, tracing its development from grounded theory through the interpretive turn to postmodernism. Situational analysis recognizes that researchers actively participate in the production of knowledge which is always partial. Rather than striving for formal truth, it focuses on differences and contradictions, centering on the relational ecology of a situation. Its aim is to produce sensitizing concepts that shape how we can think about a phenomenon while remaining open to revision. Whereas grounded theory relies mainly on coding and constructing categories, situational analysis places mapping at its core.

The approach offers three analytical strategies:

1) Situational maps lay out the relevant elements of a situation and the relationships between them.

2) Social worlds/arenas maps lay out collective actors and the issues that bring them into conflict or negotiation.

3) Positional maps lay out controversies and examine the positions taken and not taken.

Guided by the question about what is present in a situation and how these elements transform it, mapping serves two purposes: early on, it helps make prior knowledge and assumptions explicit and guide theoretical sampling; later, it opens up the analysis and avoids premature closure.

The core of the workshop was hands-on work with participants’ own research projects. Participants first created a messy map of their research situation and then transferred it into an ordered situational map template (Clarke, Situational Analysis, 2nd ed., 2018, adapted by Franziska Zirker), followed by a short written reflection.

In the next step, participants turned their maps into visual collages. By cutting out and arranging images, they experimented with how relationships between elements can be represented through spatial composition. The process was deliberately iterative, as participants continually added to and revised their collages by searching for and printing new images whenever they felt something was missing.

In the final segment, each participant presented their collage in a short lightning talk, followed by a collective reflection on the collage-making process. A key insight was how the visual work brought overlooked elements to the surface.

In one project on biometrics, for example, children had previously been represented only in relation to the collection of their biometric data, emphasizing the process rather than the children themselves. The collage instead positioned them as actors in their own right.

Participants left with a practical understanding of situational analysis and fresh, creative ways to reflect on their research and uncover relations that otherwise might remain hidden.

Workshop: Prompting Ethnography: Experiments with LLMs in Fieldnotes, Analysis, Writing, and Reflexivity (29 October)

Methods Lab

Join us for the workshop „Prompting Ethnography: Experiments with LLMs in Fieldnotes, Analysis, Writing, and Reflexivity“ for researchers and students with intermediate experience in ethnography who would like to explore and critically discuss the potential role of AI in ethnographic research. The workshop will take place on October 29, 2026 (10am–2pm) at the Weizenbaum Institute in the Flexroom (A1_04), and will be led by Prof. Dr. Paula Bialski (University of St. Gallen & WI) and Prof. Dr. Götz Bachmann (University of Siegen). This workshop is organized by the Weizenbaum PhD Network “Research in Practice”, coordinated by Katharina Berr and Jana Heim, and supported by the Weizenbaum Methods Lab.

What could AI offer in ethnographic research and where does it flatten, overinterpret, invent, or produce false coherence and what new forms of reflection become necessary and possible? In this experimental and hands-on workshop participants will work through  exercises involving scribbles, diary writing, analytical interpretation, essay drafting, and reflection. We will examine how LLMs can act as interlocutors, critics, and writing partners, sometimes through deliberately assigned roles, while also asking how researchers can retain responsibility for what is generated, revised, accepted, or rejected. The workshop is especially relevant for doctoral researchers, ethnographers, qualitative researchers, and teachers interested in AI and methodology. Participants are invited to bring short excerpts from their own scribbles, fieldnotes, or research memos, although sample material can also be provided.

The event is hybrid. It is open to QPD. To learn more, please visit our program page. We look forward to welcoming you!

Important Updates to The Open Science Framework (OSF)

Diana Ignatovich

Researchers may know the Open Science Framework (OSF) as a free, open-source infrastructure that has encouraged the organization, connection, and sharing of research outputs, including data, materials, code, registrations, and publications. It has also been a useful resource for storing, managing, and collaborating on files throughout one’s research process.

However, the Center for Open Science (COS) is making significant changes to the functionality of OSF. Moving forward, OSF will prioritize the preparation of study plans and preregistrations, as well as linking related data, materials, and code. It will also continue to support the sharing of preprints and papers. Nevertheless, due to funding limitations, OSF will no longer permit project and file management, private storage for newly added files, or the sharing of new data, materials, and code. Previously stored private projects will also be deleted, with users given 12 months’ advance notice.

Key deadlines

  • November 16, 2026: Creating new OSF Projects or child components will no longer be possible
  • February 19, 2027: Existing OSF Projects, links and DOI identifiers will still be accessible, but become read-only

Next steps for researchers

If your OSF project is still active or private, review whether its contents can be made public. If they need to remain private, consider moving them to another storage location. Move ongoing work to another appropriate repository or storage location. If you need somewhere to store future research outputs, use an appropriate repository for your data, materials, code, or other outputs, and link these outputs to OSF registrations or preprints where relevant.

How to choose an alternative data repository

Depending on your research needs, possible alternatives include Zenodo, GitHub, ResearchBox, Dataverse, and PsychArchives. Daniel Lakens gives a thorough comparison of these repositories in his blog post, which considers factors such as the type of research output, the properties offered by each platform, and the researcher’s technical skills. He also discusses the benefits and weaknesses of each software and how they may suit your specific research field and aim. 

The GESIS Leibniz Institute for Social Sciences also offers the archiving package BASIC which allows researchers to store, publish and reuse social science research data through their repository. 

BASIC services are free of charge and include: 

  • Backup of files for a minimum of 25 years (Bitstream Preservation)
  • BASIS entry check
  • DOI registration
  • Metadata form to provide additional information about your data
  • Publication and access to your data through the repository

For researchers at the Weizenbaum Institute

The Weizenbaum Library allows researchers to publish their research data or code under an open license. 

The Weizenbaum Cloud is a Nextcloud instance hosted by the Weizenbaum IT. It can be used to share project data internally or externally.

The Weizenbaum Institute also provides a self-hosted GitLab instance. It allows you to use a version control system for software projects, build CI/CD pipelines, and more. However, please note these projects cannot be shared outside the institute.

OSF transition resources

For more details on what these changes mean for your OSF content, see the OSF Projects transition help guide, and for further direction on how to select a new data repository, visit the OSF list of recommendations. 

Workshop recap: Introduction to LaTeX and Overleaf

Roland Toth

On September 10, 2026, Roland Toth (Methods Lab) and Jochen Knaus (Research Management) hosted the workshop Introduction to LaTeX and Overleaf at the Weizenbaum Institute. This hands-on session introduced participants to the fundamentals of LaTeX and the collaborative online platform Overleaf, equipping researchers with essential tools for precise, reproducible, and professional scientific writing.

In the first part, LaTeX’s origins were traced back to Donald E. Knuth’s 1978 creation of TeX, born from frustration with poor digital typesetting. Built on TeX, LaTeX separates content from formatting, letting authors focus on structure while the system handles layout – a principle still vital for academic writing, math-heavy documents, and long-form research. This part highlighted key advantages of LaTeX over traditional word processors like Microsoft Word or Google Docs:

  • Plain text source files ensure version control, reproducibility, and compatibility with modern data science workflows.
  • Automated PDF generation from source code allows seamless integration with tools like R Markdown, Quarto, Sweave, and PyLaTeX.
  • Robust support for citations and bibliographies via BibTeX and reference management tools (e.g., Zotero, Mendeley).
  • AI-friendly format: vast corpora of scientific literature in LaTeX are widely used to train generative AI models.
Jochen Knaus presents the origins of LaTeX

Participants were then introduced to Overleaf, the web-based LaTeX editor, which offers real-time collaboration, cloud storage, and a user-friendly interface – ideal for both beginners and experienced users. The Weizenbaum Institute’s own secure instance at https://overleaf.weizenbaum-institut.de was emphasized as a privacy-conscious alternative to the public version, which can also be used to collaborate with multiple people without requiring licenses. The core of the workshop was a hands-on exploration of LaTeX syntax and document structure. Throughout the session, participants were guided through practical exercises for each technique. Participants learned how to:

  • Set up a new project, manage files, and use the Overleaf interface
  • Structure documents and format text
  • Create structured content using sections, subsections, and subsubsections
  • Insert lists, tables, and figures with captions and labels
  • Cite literature systematically using .bib files
  • Troubleshooting common errors such as missing braces, undefined labels, and incorrect file paths.
Roland Toth guides participants through LaTeX syntax

In the final segment, participants were given an opportunity to convert the format of a sample paper using a journal template, which is a typical task in scientific writing and publishing.

Participants left with a working knowledge of LaTeX and Overleaf, and the confidence to begin writing their next paper, thesis, or proposal in a format ensuring precision, consistency, and long-term sustainability.

Workshop: Visualizing Situatedness – Situational Analysis through Maps and Collages (October 8, 2026)

Methods Lab

Join us for the workshop “Visualizing Situatedness – Situational Analysis through Maps and Collages” on October 8, 2026, where Franziska Zirker will introduce participants to Situational Analysis and collage-based mapping as tools for qualitative data analysis.

Qualitative research seeks to understand how people, technologies, institutions, discourses, and material environments become entangled in complex situations. Situational Analysis is an interpretative qualitative approach that helps researchers make these relational complexities visible through mapping.

This workshop introduces participants to the basics of Situational Analysis (e.g., creating situational maps from one’s own research material) and to an innovative collage-based extension of the method (e.g., translating maps into digitally sourced images and assembling them into physical collages). Participants will have the opportunity to apply what they have learned to their own research projects and to discuss how image selection, printing, cutting, and re-assembly shape analytical thinking.

The workshop is designed for researchers at any career stage and with any level of prior methodological experience; no prior knowledge is required, and research projects at any stage are welcome. Seats are limited to 15 participants. To learn more, please visit our program page. We look forward to welcoming you!

Workshop: Introduction to LaTeX and Overleaf (September 10, 2026)

Methods Lab

Join us for the workshop Introduction to LaTeX and Overleaf on September 10, 2026, where Roland Toth and Jochen Knaus will introduce participants to the use of Latex through Overleaf for scientific and technical writing. This workshop is organized by the Methods Lab and Research Management at WI.

LaTeX is a typesetting system and markup language for scientific and technical writing with many advantages over Microsoft Word and similar software packages. Overleaf, which is hosted as a web service at the Weizenbaum Institute, enables collaborative writing projects using LaTeX. This workshop introduces participants to the basics of Overleaf (e.g., setting up an account, creating a project, collaboration, and file management) and to the fundamentals of LaTeX (e.g., formatting, packages, and citations). Participants will have the opportunity to apply what they have learned within a small project.

The workshop is designed for researchers (and student assistants) who have no/limited experience with LaTeX/Overleaf.

Seats are limited. To learn more, please visit our program page. We look forward to welcoming you!

Learn AI for Research with Instats

Diana Ignatovich

Interested in learning new research methods, building your programming skills, or exploring how AI can support your research? Instats is a global learning platform providing live and recorded training seminars in statistics, programming, research methods, and AI. Most seminars require a fee, but several sessions are also freely available after registration.

For example, many researchers have already benefitted from Peter Gruber’s presentations, such as AI Tools for Researchers 2.0. This fast-paced overview of AI tools supports every stage of the research process, from literature reviews and data analysis to academic writing. It also demonstrates how to make effective use of popular chatbots, specialized AI tools, and open-source models, showing what is convenient and what is worth paying for.

Those looking to explore more advanced applications may be interested in the workshops offered by Piers Steel and Hadi Fariborzi. Beyond ChatGPT: Agentic AI as 24/7 Research Assistants focuses on using agentic AI to automate research tasks such as data collection, analysis, and reporting for both qualitative and quantitative AI-driven methods, while Beyond ChatGPT: Using AI to Enhance Research Workflows covers ethical considerations when integrating AI tools into everyday research activities to improve the quality and efficiency of your work.

The platform also provides opportunities to network with hundreds of peers across institutions and disciplines, discover open research positions, and access additional professional development resources. Take a look!

The Methods Lab at the 76th Annual ICA Conference in Cape Town, South Africa

Diana Ignatovich

Over 4,000 communication scholars from around the world gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, from 4-8 June 2026 for the 76th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA). This years theme, “Communication and Inequalities in Context,” invited researchers to examine how communication structures reflect, reproduce, and respond to social inequalities, such as unequal access to information, digital divides and power dynamics that influence knowledge production in communication research.

View on Devil’s Peak and Table Mountain

The Weizenbaum Institute was represented by several researchers who presented their work. A special congratulations goes to Roland Toth from the Methods Lab, who received the Mobile Communication Top Paper Award. His award-winning paper, co-authored with Douglas A. Parry (a Methods Lab research fellow) and Julius Kingelhoefer, examines reactivity effects resulting from providing access to Android event logs and participating in Mobile Experience Sampling studies, contributing to a better understanding of how research methods can influence participants’ smartphone use.

Presentation of the ICA Mobile Communication Division Top Paper Award

The award recognizes the international impact of Weizenbaum research and marks another successful ICA 2026 for the institute, where researchers also had the opportunity to encounter some of South Africa’s cutest wildlife (see the penguins pictured below).

African penguins on Boulders Beach

OpenQDA now locally available at WI

Methods Lab

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new local instance of OpenQDA, now accessible at https://openqda.intern.weizenbaum-institut.de/. This instance is hosted within the Weizenbaum Institute and provides researchers with a dedicated, secure environment for qualitative data analysis. As of now, LDAP authentication is not yet implemented, so access requires being on the Weizenbaum Institute network or connected via VPN. To create a new account, please access the link at the bottom of the landing page.

OpenQDA, developed by ZeMKI at the University of Bremen, is a free, open-source, web-based alternative to the commercial software MAXQDA. It supports core coding functions, follows the REFI standard for project interoperability, and enables collaborative workflows with versioning and shared codebooks. The platform also offers basic visualizations and is designed with GDPR-compliant data handling in mind.

This local instance builds on our earlier announcement of OpenQDA and reflects our commitment to open, collaborative, and ethically responsible research practices. The full source code is available on GitHub under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0, and the ZeMKI welcomes feedback and contributions from the research community.

We encourage all researchers to explore the platform and help shape its development!