Computers and Writing 2003: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Getting (and Staying) in Touch

What mailing lists and message boards are available for conference participants?

There are two mailing lists and two message forums available for conference participants.

• cw2003-announce is an announcements-only mailing list for conference participants. If you submitted a proposal, you have been already subscribed to the list. If you would like to subscribe to the list, please click on the link above.
• cw2003-discuss is a discussion list for conference participants. If you would like to subscribe to this list, please click on the link above.
• Computers and Writing: General Discussion is a general discussion forum for CW 2003 hosted on one of Purdue's message boards.
• Computers and Writing: Ride/Roommate Share is a forum for participants to arrange for shared travel or housing hosted on one of Purdue's message boards.

I received a message that said I was subscribed to the cw-2003 announcements list. What's that?

Anyone who submitted a proposal to the conference was subscribed to the announcements list so that we can disseminate information about proposals. Only CW 2003 team members can post to the announcements list.

If you did not submit a proposal and would like to subscribe to the announcements list, visit http://linnell.english.purdue.edu/mailman/listinfo/cw2003-announce and follow the instructions.

How do I get in touch with the CW 2003 team?

To get in touch with the C&W Team, use any of the following email addresses:

• proposal@cw2003.org -- for questions about proposals, reviews, and the status of your proposal
• info@cw2003.org -- for general queries about the conference
• vendors@cw2003.org -- for vendor inquiries and concerns
• help@cw2003.org -- for questions, queries, complaints and concerns

The Review Process

When will I find out if my proposal has been accepted or rejected?

Our goal is to notify all submitters by January 15, 2003. If there are delays, we will post an announcement to the announcements mailing list. To check the status of your proposal at any time, log into the proposal system at http://webapps.mgmt.purdue.edu/publications/?journalid=1, click on My Manuscripts, and then click on the Cycle Details button (third button) to see the status of your proposal.

I just got a message that said the status of my manuscript has changed. What do I do?

You will receive notification from the proposal system when your proposal has been assigned to a reviewer, when your proposal has been reviewed, and finally when your proposal has been accepted or rejected. To see the changes in the status of your proposal at any time, log into the proposal system at http://webapps.mgmt.purdue.edu/publications/?journalid=1, click on My Manuscripts, and then click on the Cycle Details button (third button) in the options column to see the status of your proposal.

To see reviews for your manuscript, click on My Manuscripts and then click on the reviews button () in the options column. Or, click on the Cycle Details button (third button) in the options column, and then click on the reviews tab at the top of the screen.

I clicked on the reviews button, but it said "There are no reviews to show at this time." What's going on?

The C&W team checks each review before making them available to the authors. If the reviewer has submitted a review but the C&W team hasn't "released" it yet, you'll see a completed review icon but won't be able to see the review. The C&W team will release the review as soon as they look it over, so just check back in a few hours to see if it's shown up yet. If you still can't see the review, email the team at proposal@cw2003.org and they'd be glad to look into it.

I'm a reviewer. How do I conduct reviews of proposals?

To review proposals, please log into the proposal system at http://webapps.mgmt.purdue.edu/publications/?journalid=1, read the instructions on the welcome screen, and then click on My Assignments to get started. We also have some documentation available that covers the technical aspects of reviewing proposals, and you should also receive a Reviewer's Guide.

Proposal Submission

How do I submit a proposal?

To submit a proposal, visit the proposal submission system, create an account, log in, and then click on the Submit manuscript link. Or, follow our step-by-step instructions.

How are proposals blind, peer-reviewed?

Proposals are routed to reviewers in the subject area (or in the system, "Manuscript Interest") you select. Your uploaded proposal should not have any identifying names on it to ensure that it is read blind by reviewers, who do not have access to the names of authors. We will do some integrity checking of the proposals to ensure that they are ready for blind review.

How many proposals can I submit?

You can submit as many proposals as you like, but keep in mind that due to conference length, it may be difficult to accommodate each proposal. Except for special events, we probably won't be able to offer anyone more than one major speaking role. Participation in workshops, roundtables, town-hall meetings, and other special events normally doesn't count as a major speaking role (in this context, anyway).

What type of proposal can I submit (i.e. "Manuscript Type")?

• Full-Day Workshop: These sessions are offered on the first day of the conference (Thursday, May 22) and allow more time (about 6 hours) for presenters and attendees to explore topics in depth, interact in networked classrooms, and so on. Workshops normally require advance registration and a modest registration fee for attendees (in addition to the regular conference fee). Full-day workshops are usually organized and presented by multiple people.
• Half-Day Workshop: These are three-hour sessions offered in the morning or afternoon on the first day of the conference (Thurdsay, May 22) and allow for deeper exploration of topics and more interaction among workshop leaders and the audience than a typical panel session might allow. Half-day workshops are also typically led by teams of presenters or coordinators.
• Individual Proposal: These are individual presentations as part of a panel. If accepted, individual presenters will be placed on a panel of peers with a similar focus by the Program Planning Team. These presentations are normally allotted twenty minutes of floor or screen time.
• Panel Session: These consist of two or more presenters on a panel with a focused theme and normally allotted 75 minutes on the program. Panel sessions usually include about 15 minutes for questions and discussion.
• Poster Session: These are interactive demonstrations allowing presenters to exhibit work, demonstrate teaching techniques or new communication technologies, and enjoy small-group interaction with the audience, which often changes over the course of a session. At C&W 2003, we will organize poster sessions as 75-minute periods in the exhibit area that allows the audience to move interact with a variety of poster presentations.
• Roundtable: These are like panel sessions, but the presentations are shorter (5-7 minutes) and allow for more panelist-panelist interaction and questions from the audience.
• Special Event: We're open to suggestions, so if you have an idea for a special event, please propose one.
• Town-Hall Meeting: These are highlights of past C&W conferences and involve sustained discussions of focused topics of central importance to the field. They typically involve multiple discussants and lively audience interaction.

What's the word limit for proposals?

Proposals should be approximately 500 words. Since only one proposal is required for each panel, poster session, workshop, roundtable, or special event, co-presenters should differentiate different speakers or participants within their proposal.

I'm one of <N> people who are proposing a panel/ poster session/workshop/roundtable/special event. Does each person need to submit a proposal?

Only ONE proposal is required for each panel, workshop, roundtable, special event, or poster session. Panel, workshop, roundtable and special event submitters should designate a contact person and have their contact person submit one proposal and one abstract for their entire group.

For example: Bob Jones, Sally Smith, and Don Dean are all going to do a panel together. Bob is designated the contact person for the panel. Bob, Sally, and Don all collaborate on writing the abstract and proposal, where each of them designates what part they'll be playing on the panel. Bob creates an account in the system, logs in, fills out the proposal form, lists Sally and Don as co-panelists ("co-authors"), and uploads their collaborative proposal. Then they're done!

What are the categories for proposals?

When you submit your proposal, you should choose the category that your proposal best fits into from the list below. This category will be used to route your proposal to reviewers and to group related proposals for the conference. On the system, you choose your category as a "Manuscript Interest."

Categories for proposals for this year's conference are as follows:

• The Wired Academy: electronic communication across the curriculum; transcending disciplinary boundaries; interdisciplinarity; electronic publication; intellectual property; technology in the writing lab; computers in professional writing, technical writing, and scientific communication
• Digital Pedagogies: teaching technology; implications and pedagogies of commercial and open source technologies; technology and writing program administration; technology and teacher training (K-12 and college); assessment
• ESL and Technology: international and immigrant populations; global discourses and communities; electronic borders and borderlands
• Race, Gender, Class, Access: digital and feminist politics; technological literacies; vaporware; support and training; workplace prejudice; technological histories
• Queer Studies: coming out issues; teaching queer students; queer communities and computers; the teaching of queer texts in composition courses; being a queer teacher; connecting to other political and radical movements; queers and the politicization of disabilities; queers and disease; queers and spirituality; the queering of gender, etc.
• A/Synchronous Learning Environments: MUDs and MOOs, OWLs, IM, courseware, etc;
• Spatiality and Electronic Architectures: archival issues; real/virtual classroom design; web design; digital libraries; eBooks; virtuality
• Hybrid Rhetorics: visual, oral, textual, multimedia, hypertext
• Emergent Network Cultures: film; media representations; virtual communities; digital copyright; distance learning; writing in the digital workplace

What should I include in my proposal?

Please designate each participant's role (if necessary), and offer a summary and explanation of what will be discussed.

What shouldn't I include in my proposal?

Proposals will be read by blind review. Therefore, please designate participants with names like Speaker #1, Speaker #2, etc. Please also leave any possibly identifying information out of your proposal.

I'm looking for collaborators. Where can I find some?

If you're looking for ideas or collaborators, we have a message board and a discussion list where you can discuss possible topics with conference participants.

I have more than five participants, but there's only four spaces for co-authors. How can I add everyone?

If you have a proposal with more than five participants, please e-mail the C&W team at proposal@cw2003.org with the names and information of all participants, and we'll add them to the system for you.

I can't seem to submit a proposal. What do I do?

If you can't use the proposal system or need help, e-mail the C&W team at proposal@cw2003.org and we'll help you troubleshoot and/or submit your proposal ourselves.