VALA2014 Conference - Would You Like to Help Review Papers? Reply by 1 August

[VALA Executive Officer]

Dear Colleague,

                VALA2014: Streaming with Possibilities

As you may be aware, papers (except for keynote speakers and invited
papers) published in VALA conference proceedings are peer-reviewed in
accordance with HERDC guidelines. The VALA2014 Programme Committee is
looking for people to take on the role of independent reviewer for the
VALA2014 conference papers that are due to be submitted on 16 September
2013.

Reviewers would be asked to read and comment on about two or three
papers (the more reviewers we have, the fewer papers each receives), and
are provided with guidelines/comment forms to assist them with rating
the papers.  Papers and guidelines will be distributed by email, and
reviewers will be asked to complete the task within *two* weeks of
receiving the papers.  If a paper has to be revised (most do), then it
will have to be reviewed again after revision, and this will also need
to be done in two weeks.

Papers are due mid-September, and it is anticipated that most papers
will be distributed to reviewers by early to mid-October.  Each paper is
reviewed by at least two reviewers, and then the reviews are combined
anonymously and returned to the authors.  Following this, authors are
given up to three weeks for revisions, and on receipt revised papers are
re-reviewed.  This would take the process to late November (all being
well).  It is, of course, possible that there may be delays with
particular papers (illness, etc.), which would result in the process
starting and finishing later.  Any reviewers whose paper(s) will be
delayed will be advised in advance if possible.

Please remember that the aim is to be able to distribute abstracts
according to areas of skill, but also, as much as possible, to give each
reviewer about the same workload.  Each paper will be reviewed by at
least two reviewers.

If you are interested in being considered for the review panel, we would
like you to do the following, please.

1.   Download the reviewing skills spreadsheet from
www.vala.org.au/reviewing2014 and complete it, to help with gathering
information about your skills.

2.   Complete the spreadsheet, as described below. This should take
around three minutes to complete and email back to me at
editor at vala.org.au ASAP, please, but no later than Thursday 1 August
2013.

3.   In your covering email, please supply us with 50-100 words about
yourself, *full* contact information (including secondary email
addresses and phone numbers), plus any spread of dates between now and
Christmas when you will not be available for reviewing.

**Even if you have reviewed for VALA before, we ask that you please
complete this task, to simplify the process.** (That is, don't tell us
that we know your skills and expect us to complete the
spreadsheet<grin>.)

In the spreadsheet, the first column is the list of topics we arrived at
for the Call for Papers.  The second column asks you to insert your name
and institution at the top (overwrite what is there), and then the rest
of the column shows each cell marked with the default value of O (for
OK).

Please change the value of O as follows:

Y     If you are relatively strong in that area (please use Caps Lock)

N     If you are really not familiar with the area (please use Caps
Lock)

   *Topics remaining as O will be considered as OK for you to review if
   necessary*.

Please complete and return to me at editor at vala.org.au by **Thursday 1
August 2013** with details in the covering email as requested above, so
that we can compile the list of skills and allocate papers taking into
account this information and any known possible conflicts of interest.

Please feel free to pass on this message.

Many thanks
 
 
Alyson Kosina
VALA Editor
VALA - Libraries, Technology and the Future Inc.
Reg No A0011933K  ABN 75 344 574 577
P.O. Box 443
Warrandyte VIC  3113
Phone Direct: (03) 9725 2725
Email: editor at vala.org.au

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2013-07-22