AlphaGalileo terminology

Please find below a list of terms frequently used on our website. Every term is accompanied by an explanation of how it is defined by AlphaGalileo. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact us directly at alphagalileo@alphagalileo.org

1. Book announcements

Book announcements are releases about newly-published books, CD-ROMs and DVDs. By posting them on our website, you have the opportunity to advertise your new publications. If you upload a cover picture, your book can become a featured item and be displayed on our main site.

2. Contributor

A contributor is a person registered with our service who can post content on AlphaGalileo using his/her login. Most contributors to AlphaGalileo hold positions as press officers at research organisations based in Europe.

3. Embargo

An embargo prevents publication of material before the date specified, whilst allowing the media to undertake background research and prepare their articles or programmes. Embargoes are intended to help informed debate whilst retaining the intellectual right of prior publication. Embargoes are fundamental to publishing scientific results and journalists found breaching them may have their access to the site removed.

As long as the embargo is in place, a release posted on AlphaGalileo is accessible only by bona fide journalists registered with our service. It is not visible to any other visitors to AlphaGalileo's website, till the embargo has lapsed.

The embargo time is always given in GMT to avoid any confusion.

4. Event announcement

Event announcements are releases about various science events, i.e. conferences, fairs, lectures. Each event is published in the Calendar section of AlphaGalileo. However, events addressed directly to journalists, such as press conferences, are published as press releases with a remark 'Media invitation' in the title of news.

5. Media invitation

Events addressed to the journalists, such as press conferences, are posted on AlphaGalileo as press releases with a remark 'Media invitation' in the title of news.

6. Microsite

Every organisation registered with our service as a Research Partner receives its own site within the AlphaGalileo website. Everyone viewing content published on AlphaGalileo can visit microsites to find out more about our Research Partners. To visit the microsite of a chosen organisation, just click on the 'more' tab which is placed next to the name of every Research Partner (displayed always beneath the title of a news item).

Each microsite contains a few sections which you can access by clicking on the tabs on the top of the page:

Partner home - displays a short description of the organisation's profile and an overview of all content published by this organisation
About us - shows a longer description of the organisation's profile and mission
Contact us - contains all the contact details for this organisation
Content sections, i.e. Press releases - shows all the content posted by the organisation, arranged by the type of content

7. Open site

Apart from the part of AlphaGalileo's website that is accessible by registered users only, i.e. journalists, who are eligible to view embargoed news, there is also a site open for the public. Everyone interested in science can browse the site and access all the information except for the press releases that are currently under embargo.