a technical area, a review article in
Communications should offer a high-level perspective on a
technical area.
Authors are encouraged to begin the process
by making a pre-submission inquiry, which
should include a proposed title, abstract, and a
few key references. Proposals will be reviewed
and prospective authors will either receive a formal invitation to prepare a full manuscript (note:
an invitation to write an article does not guarantee its publication) or a rejection based on the
suitability of their proposal for publication in the
magazine. Authors who receive a rejection, but
are convinced of the importance of their work,
may submit a complete manuscript for consideration by the magazine’s Editorial Board.
All Review Articles undergo a thorough peer-review process. Submissions should consist of up
to 6,000 words, include an abstract and introduction, up to 40 references, and be submitted
to: http://www.cacm.acm.org/submissions.
Practice targets professionals in the software
industry with an emphasis on software engineering. Articles published in this section frame and
define technical problems and challenges ahead
while helping readers sharpen their own thinking
and ability to pursue innovative solutions. Practice does not focus on industry news or the latest
solutions. Rather, articles explore disruptive technologies that are just on the verge of breaking
through.
This section highlights problems that are
likely to arise and poses questions that software
engineers should be thinking about while dissecting industry issues that matter most and
examines the challenges faced by software architects, project leaders, IT managers, and corporate
decision makers.
Submissions to this section are by invitation
only. Detailed submission guidelines will be forwarded to invited authors.
Research Highlights provides readers with a
collection of outstanding research articles,
selected from the broad spectrum of computing-research conferences. Submissions are first nominated by Editorial Board Members or Approved
Nominating Organizations and are then subject
to final selection by the Editorial Board. Authors
are then invited to submit their article, after they
have rewritten and expanded their scope as
appropriate for the broad readership of
Communications.
It is important to note that publication in
Communications, a computing-technology and
science magazine, does not conflict with publication in archival journals. Articles in archival journals are typically expanded versions of conference
publications, while Communications aims to
publish somewhat shorter and higher-level versions of these articles.
Each selected Research Highlights article is preceded by a one-page (700–800 words) summary.
Technical Perspective essays provide readers
with an overview of the underlying motivation,
the important ideas of the featured research, and
its scientific and practical significance. Technical
Perspective articles will be written by noted
experts in the field addressed by the Research-Highlight article and will be invited by the Editorial Board.
Full-length Research Highlights should consist of no more than eight pages according to the
CACM Research Highlights Template (http://
www.acm.org/publications/cacm/guidelines/rht-mplate) and contain no more than 25 references.
Authors should note this template is provided as a
helpful measuring tool only; it does not reflect camera-ready copy.
Papers should be submitted to: http://www.
cacm.acm.org/submissions.
Letters to the Editor consists of comments on
articles published in both the print and online
editions of the Communications, as well as selections or contributions from various blogs published by ACM as appropriate.
Submitted letters should not exceed 500
words and should include the contributor’s
name, email address, and postal address. Due to
limited space, Communications cannot publish
all submitted letters in the printed magazine.
Whenever possible, high-quality letters will be
posted on the Communications Web site:
