PIDS revitalizes online knowledge, research portal

IN line with its mandates of providing a common link between the government and research institutions and establishing a repository for socioeconomic research information, state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) revitalized the SocioEconomic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P).

SERP-P is an online knowledge bank containing completed, ongoing and pipeline research studies related to socioeconomic development and policymaking in the Philippines. It will make research studies more accessible to the public.

PIDS said that the studies that may be found in the database include not only those conducted by the state think tank but also researches by other government agencies and the academe.

Data available in the database include the abstracts, authors, focus of study, geographical coverage and where the studies can be accessed. The full text of most studies, especially those by PIDS, may also be downloaded directly from the SERPP. Researchers may search the database using keywords, or by searching authors or institutions.

PIDS added that SERP- P has a new look for easier navigation. A new feature called Spotlight was also added in the SERP-P website. Spotlight highlights critical issues that may be of interest to the public. Related studies conducted within the last five years found in SERP-P about these issues are highlighted in Spotlight. At present, the focus is on climate change.

The state think tank noted that in the future, SERP-P will include an inventory of social science experts in the country. Experts will be grouped according to social science fields and subfields. Having this inventory of experts will encourage exchange of knowledge and promote research collaboration among social scientists in the country.

PIDS also said that since work on the SERP-P started in 2000 and since it was launched in 2002 during the institute‘s 25th founding anniversary, the portal has steadily grown. It now has more than 5,000 studies in various formats such as working paper, journal article, discussion paper and others, which was contributed by its 48 network members composed of research and academic institutions from all over the Philippines.

Work is underway to invite more institutions not only those within the country but also overseas to join the SERP-P network.

SERP-P can be accessed through the PIDS website, www.pids.gov.ph, or through its URL, serp-p.pids.gov.ph.