What is the mission of TheChinaCompanion? Top

TheChinaCompanion has been devised to optimize online access to the wealth of relevant knowledge on contemporary China's politics, foreign policy and political economy published in the English, German, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Russian languages. TCC aims to maximize the "signal to noise" ratio when researchers, students, professionals, journalists and members of the public seek reliable contents on the web.

TCC does this by leveraging its vast database, which has been compiled by a qualified team of international editors since 2008, and now contains tens of thousands of entries from 1999 through to today.

Materials surveyed in the TCC database include NEWS REPORTS published by some 41 of the world's leading daily newspapers, periodicals and broadcasters; PAPERS AND TRANSCRIPTS produced by the most influential global think-tanks; ACADEMIC ARTICLES appearing on over 160 of the best scientific journals worldwide; OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS released by select national and international bodies; BOOK REVIEWS published in top outlets.

Fully searchable through sophisticated "search" and "global search" tools, the TCC database both points the user to the more relevant entries for his search, and allows for one-click export of footnotes once the relevant materials are located.

TCC is not programmed to allows for direct access to third party materials on the TCC website: rather, every entry surveyed in its database contains a button re-directing users to the webpage where materials are stored. TCC thus serves as a directory and facility to harness the vast reservoir of China-related publications worldwide, while respecting the copyright held by publishers.

How can I support TCC? Top

TheChinaCompanion has been developed on the premise that it would be a free platform for individual researchers to effectively locate published materials of interest. Maintenance and editorial costs are borne by T.wai, the Torino World Affairs Institute. For further information, please email Ray Hervandi at the following email address: tcc[at]twai.it.

Why do I have to register? Top

The registration procedure only takes up a couple of minutes of your time and no especially sensitive data are required. Operating with a registered membership helps us respond to users' feedback and work toward developing TCC to its full potential. It also prevents hackers' attacks and acts of web vandalism.

Are TCC services free? Top

Access to TheChinaCompanion and its services is - and is expected to remain - entirely free of charge.

What searches can I do on TCC? Top

The TCC database surveys 5 main types of contents: NEWS REPORTS published by some 41 of the world's leading daily newspapers, periodicals and broadcasters; PAPERS AND TRANSCRIPTS produced by the most influential global think-tanks; ACADEMIC ARTICLES appearing on over 160 of the best scientific journals worldwide; OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS released by select national and international bodies; BOOK REVIEWS published in top outlets.

The NEWS section is automatically updated three times a day; all other sections are updated by the TCC editorial team on a daily basis.

How do I search for an item? Top

The quickest way is to use the general search bar, which is to be found top-centre in the homepage (both standard and global/advanced search are available). Alternatively, users may carry out searches in each of the 5 main sections: NEWS, PAPERS AND TRANSCRIPTS, ACADEMIC ARTICLES, OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS, and BOOK REVIEWS.

Why can you sometimes visualize abstracts, while other times you can't? Top

All papers and academic articles surveyed in TCC have been individually selected and categorized by TCC editors. Abstracts are posted whenever freely available on the web and they normally appear in their entirety. When the entire text of an article is openly available, TCC editors present the first paragraphs as abstracts.

How can I contact you? Top

If you wish to get in touch with the editorial team, please email Ray Hervandi at the following email address: tcc[at]twai.it or write to:

    TheChinaCompanion 
c/o T.wai
    Torino World Affairs Institute
    
Via Ponza 4/e
    
10121 Torino - ITALY