Call for Case Studies @ C&T 2019

3-7 June 2019, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
https://2019.comtech.community/casestudies.html

The International Conference on Communities and Technologies (C&T) is the premier international forum on the complex connections between communities – both physical and virtual – and information and communication technologies. The theme of C&T 2019 is “Transforming Communities”, embracing a dynamic view of communities and paying particular attention to the roles of technologies in the making, un-making, and re-making of communities (see the Call for Papers for more).

C&T 2019, for the first time, will host two separate Case Studies tracks:

Research Track

Case Studies in the Research Track are targeted towards (applied) researchers, practitioners, and professionals working in the field of communities and technologies. Papers submitted to this track should show the application, as well as the organisational, civic and/or commercial aspects, implications or practical challenges in any of the areas listed in the Call for Papers. Of special interest are real-world examples that illustrate experiences in running technological systems with/within existing communities; lessons learnt in developing, testing, and deploying such systems; and critical views and reflections on differences between research and practice. Various kinds and flavors of case study research are welcome, including but not limited to: more analytical (such as ethnographic case studies and historical analyses of cases) as well as more action-oriented (such as design case studies, action research reports). A strong community, industry and/or society background should be demonstrated, e.g., through authorship or in the text.

Case Studies should be inspiring, but should not be constrained by traditional academic expectations. They differ from regular research papers in that Case Studies do not need to define themselves as part of the potentially longer-term body of academic research. They might not have as extensive a literature review as regular research papers, or might not explicitly add to C&T theory within an academic school of thought. The primary criteria for Case Studies is relevance in making a contribution to the community. Case Studies will be assessed on the extent to which they:
• tell a convincing story of a real-world experience of technology-mediated community practice, that will be useful and instructive to other members of the C&T community,
• report on very specific or singular communities or experiences,
• have the potential for real impact on the C&T body of knowledge and practice,
• clearly describe challenges and limitations to the reported experience or project,
• focus on lessons learned and reflections on experiences.

How to submit:
Case Studies for the Research Track must be submitted via EasyChair (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ct2019). Research Track submissions must be reported using the ACM SigConf proceedings template (which is part of the ACM Master Template (https://www.acm.org/publications/proceedings-template/)), should be 4-6 pages long (excluding references and appendices), and submitted as PDF. Submissions must be anonymized, removing information that could easily identify authors. Authors are encouraged (but not required) to include illustrative supplementary materials in the form of pictures/visuals (beyond those included in the text), videos, documents/reports, websites, etc. If supplementary materials are submitted beyond the main document, we kindly ask authors to include a list of the supplementary documents in their submission and a description of the nature and purpose of each item.

Selection process:
Submissions to the Research Track will be peer-reviewed by two members of the Programme Committee, with an additional meta review form the Case Studies chairs for final decision on acceptance or rejection.

Upon acceptance:
Accepted Case Studies from the Research Track will be published in the proceedings, together with full and short papers. Authors will have the opportunity to present and/or demonstrate their work during the conference.

Important dates:
March 1, 2019 – Research Track submissions due (via EasyChair (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ct2019))
April 9, 2019 – Research Track notifications
April 26, 2019 – Camera-ready due

Community Track

The Community Track is targeted towards a wide variety of non-academic actors working with technologies to effect community relations in the making, un-making, and re-making of communities. Actors targeted with the Community Track include (but are not limited to) civic society organisations, NGOs, non-profits, neighborhood associations or communities, schools, cooperatives, social enterprises, movements, and other interest groups as well as hackers, activists, journalists, social entrepreneurs, and other community practitioners.

The Community Track provides an outlet for non-academic actors to present to conference delegates, e.g., their mission, approach, project, intervention, initiative, and/or campaign that involves technologies to effect community relations in the making, un-making, and re-making of communities.

How to submit:
The Community Track solicits case study submissions from non-academic actors via a short online submission form (https://surveys.wineme.fb5.uni-siegen.de/index.php/651325). The online form contains sections on general information; the submitting organization, community group or individual; the specific mission, approach, project, intervention, initiative, and/or campaign; and the ways to present the submission at the conference. Submissions are strongly encouraged (but not required) to include supplementary materials such as videos, slide decks, pictures/visuals, documents/reports, websites, etc. Supplementary materials can be uploaded via the online form as well. This submission format has been designed to maximise freedom of expression as well as inclusion and diversity of stories, communities, and approaches.

At the conference:
Authors can propose their desired presentation format(s) at the time of submission, including (but not limited to) poster, interactive demo, short video, short presentation, or small exhibition booth. The eventual format(s) will be decided in cooperation between authors and conference organizers. Authors are asked to include special requests and requirements in the online form at the time of submission. Submissions to the Community Track will not lead to a paper publication as part of the proceedings, but will rather present their case to delegates at the conference.

Selection process:
Submissions to the Community Track will be curated. This means that submissions will only be evaluated by the Case Studies chairs (in coordination with other relevant conference chairs). Authors should expect to receive only very light feedback on their submissions. Case Studies chairs will coordinate with authors on acceptance about their desired presentation format(s) at the conference.

Important dates:
April 26, 2019 – Community Track submissions due (via online form (https://surveys.wineme.fb5.uni-siegen.de/index.php/651325))
May 3, 2019 – Community Track notifications

Fees and travel

Accepted submissions to Research as well as Community Track will be able to send one delegate paying only the early-bird fee if registering within five business days after notifications of acceptance. Beyond that and for additional delegates the full conference fee will be required after the early-bird registration deadline. If you need additional conference fee or travel budget assistance, please contact us and we will try our best to assist you. There may be limited funds available to attract submissions from organisations from developing countries, if you are interested to explore this option please also contact us at the email provided below.

Contact

Please send any questions and inquiries to the Case Studies chairs:
Anne De Liddo, Matthias Korn
casestudies@comtech.community