archive for ‘news’


Funny or scary? Web research on coulrophobia

Just in time for April 1, we are happy to present you an exciting discovery from the citations of iScience research: Coulrophobia is not a recognized, specific medical condition (yet), but it is a very common phobia, the fear of clowns. 🤡 Planting et al. (2022) tackled the matter using web research. Happy reading! 📖

Planting, T., Koopowitz, S. M., & Stein, D. J. (2022). Coulrophobia: An investigation of clinical features. South African Journal of Psychiatry28, 4.


Open academic position – join our team (50-75 %, E 13 TV-L*)!

Make your dreams✨ come true and start or continue your academic career in the iScience group at the University of Konstanz (pre- or postdoctoral level)! 🎓🚀 We are looking for a talented pre- or postdoc member to join our team on June 1st, 2022, or by agreement. If you would like to be a part of a working group that is always at the forefront of academic innovation, then this is the job for you – we are looking forward to your application! 📝🙌


Major update WEXTOR 2022 is available for all users

WEXTOR 2022 is live for all users! 🥳 Discover the latest version of WEXTOR.eu, empowering next-generation web experiments, e.g., with mobile-optimized templates 📲, the Sealed Input Box Plugin 🛡, or the Random Stimulus Plugin 🧑🏼‍💻.



Changelog (WEXTOR 2021 → WEXTOR 2022):

– Responsive Questionnaire Templates
– Live Preview Device Simulator
– New Fonts
– New Style Options (e.g., round vs. angular)
– Smart Search Engine Bot Detection
– SEO Improvements
– WexList Sharing API
– Drag & Drop Experiment Upload
– Non-Binary Gender Option
– Multiple Site Entry Technique Tag Generator
– 7-Point Likert Scale Plugin
– 5-Point Likert Scale Plugin
– Random Stimulus Plugin (random displaying of stimuli with(out) replacement)
– Button Hover Effects
– Experiments SSL Support
– Smart Snowball Sampling
– Experiment Structure Sharing
– Open Science Approaches Compliance
– “Join WEXTOR Pool” Option
– Improved Button Captions
– Sealed Input Box Plugin (allows entering information that is randomized & stored separately from the other data)
– Improved Form Validation
– Informed Consent Template
– Optional Quit Early Button
– Screen Dimensions Data Collection
– General Bug Fixes & Improvements

Try it out today at WEXTOR.eu! ❤️🎓🚀


Summer semester 2022: Write your thesis with us!