Scholarly Communication

Listen to this interview of Guilherme Horta Travassos, Systems Engineering and Computer Science Graduate Program, Coppe, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We talk about the review process, both at Information and Software Technology and also more broadly throughout the software-engineering community.Guilherme Horta Travassos : "The review process is hard, because there is the author’s perspective, and there is the reviewer’s perspective, and these perspectives must become a match. It’s like software inspection: There is the author of the document, and there is the inspector. So, if they do not have the same viewpoint or the same perspectives on working with that artifact, it is going to be hard. And this is true, too, of the reviewing process.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to this interview of Jo Van Bulck, Assistant Professor in the DistriNet Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium. We talk about the paper LVI: Hijacking Transient Execution through Microarchitectural Load Value Injection (S&P 2020).Jo Van Bulck : "For me, this paper is a good example of how just by thinking, we researchers can attain to insights. This is not a paper where we came across something by doing it. No, it was really about thinking, and then coming up with an idea, and then evaluating that idea.”LVI: Hijacking Transient Execution through Microarchitectural Load Value InjectionAbout LVI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to this interview of Paul Ralph, Professor, Dalhousie University, Canada. We talk about what's wrong with peer review — and how to fix it!Paul Ralph : "We don't want reviewers micromanaging style, complaining about the way the study is written. No, what we want — and need — is for reviewers to focus on the methodological details of the study: Was it done well? Are the results likely to be true?"For more, see Empirical Standards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Filling a gap in the literature, Inclusive Cataloging: Histories, Context, and Reparative Approaches (ALA Editions and Core, 2024) provides librarians and catalogers with practical approaches to reparative cataloging as well as a broader understanding of the topic and its place in the technical services landscape. As part of the profession's ongoing EDISJ efforts to redress librarianship’s problematic past, practitioners from across the field are questioning long-held library authorities and standards. They’re undertaking a critical and rigorous re-examination of so-called “best” practices and the decisionmakers behind them, pointing out heretofore unscrutinized injustices within our library systems of organization and making concrete steps towards progressive change. In this conversation, co-editors Billey Albina (Amber Billey), Elizabeth Nelson, and Rebecca Uhl discuss their work to bring together chapters that detail the efforts of librarians who are working to improve our systems and collections, in the process inspiring those who have yet to enact change by demonstrating that this work is scalable, possible, and necessary.From this book, readers will gain an understanding of the theoretical underpinning for the actions that create our history and be challenged to reconsider their perspectives; learn about the important role of the library catalog in real-world EDISJ initiatives through examples ranging from accessibility metadata and gendered information to inclusive comics cataloging and revising LC call numbers for Black people and Indigenous people; discover more than a dozen case studies drawn from a variety of contexts including archives, academic and public libraries, and research institutions; and see ways to incorporate these ideas into their own work, with a variety of sample policies, “how to” documents, and other helpful tools provided in the text. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Princeton University Press publishes some of the best books every year, racking up accolades and launching the careers of thousands of scholars. As an editor at the New Books Network and a frequent host, I love speaking with Princeton UP authors. A striking feature of many PUP books is the quality of writing. Their books are simultaneously detailed and highly readable. No wonder PUP books have found so much success in the past couple years with their push into audio production.One of the key people involved in the creation of these books is Danielle D’Orlando. Danielle has the enviable title of “Curator of Audio,” a strategic and creative role fit for a voracious reader and audiobook listener with a knack for picking scholarly books with a crossover appeal.Danielle began her career at Tantor Media, an audiobook company that helped pioneer and popularize the medium. She cut her teeth turning manuscripts into audio scripts, managing rights and licenses, all while getting a graduate degree in publishing. Soon after, Danielle moved to Yale University Press where she worked for nearly a decade, launching Yale Press Audio in 2020. In 2022, Danielle moved Princeton UP to bring her expertise and experience to another university press.As curator of audio, Danielle selects the books and casts the voice actors. We discuss a new audio recording of Capital, how PUP picks narrators, the changing market for audiobooks, and Spotify’s move to compete with Audible in the audiobook space. Give this interview a listen to learn more about Danielle’s work and the future for university press audiobooks.…Also why The Power Broker by Robert Caro is best read as an audiobook.Find Princeton UP’s audiobooks here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to this interview of Darja Smite, Professor, and Eriks Klotins, Senior Researcher — both at Software Engineering Research Lab (SERL), Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden. We talk about the paper From Collaboration to Solitude and Back: Remote Pair Programming During COVID-19 (Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming 2021).Eriks Klotins : "In research paper publishing, it’s been my experience that especially junior researchers will misunderstand what is expected and what is required. And I can say personally, I enjoy reading papers where the authors have stepped away, in a good direction, from the accepted practice in paper writing — certainly much more than when reading a paper where someone has just tried to fill in a template of sorts, but the product of that effort makes no good sense.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to this interview of Clemens Dubslaff, Assistant Professor, Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. We talk about the cultural dividing lines between researcher communities, and of course, how to cross those lines into whole new areas of research.Clemens Dubslaff : "One particular thing I would like to see eXplainable Formal Methods (XFM) do is to revisit the many papers from the early 1990s and so on — papers from logic and programming, where we have many things ready already. I mean, these papers have, in many cases, already discussed explanation, even from the standpoint of philosophy. So, these are just really good papers, but unfortunately more on the forgotten side. That’s why I think that connecting that knowledge from the past — say, about causality, for instance — to this new field of XFM will certainly help and advance the research." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Javier Cámara, an Associate Professor in Computer Science at the University of Málaga, shares insights on integrating machine learning with quantitative verification for self-adaptive IoT systems. He discusses the evolution of his work and emphasizes the importance of collaborative research. Cámara also addresses the challenges of managing IoT during real-world events, highlighting the need for effective decision-making frameworks. Additionally, he provides advice on structuring research papers to enhance clarity and comprehension, advocating for thoughtful placement of sections to aid reader understanding.

Listen to this interview of Rick Rabiser, Professor for Software Engineering in Cyber-Physical Systems, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria. We talk about the relationship of researchers in academia and industry, focusing particularly on the community researching into systems and software product lines (SPL).Rick Rabiser : "When you write your paper, imagine you're explaining what you want to write down to someone in a meeting room on the whiteboard. Because this is what we do in research a lot — we try to communicate our ideas to our peers and collaborators, and we very often just do this on a whiteboard. So, if you can tell your research to someone in just this same way, but through text, then you'll enable yourself to tell it, too, to a reviewer, and eventually to a reader."Link to Rabiser et al. A Study and Comparison of Industrial vs Academic Software Product Line Research Published at SPLCLink to Rabiser et al. Industrial and Academic Software Product Line Research at SPLC: Perception of the CommunityLink to Schmid et al. Bridging the Gap: Voices from Industry and Research on Industrial Relevance of SPLCLink to Becker et al. Not Quite There Yet: Remaining Challenges in Systems and Software Product Line Engineering as Perceived by Industry Practitioners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about publishing but were too afraid to ask.Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book (Catapult, 2020) by Courtney Maum is a funny, candid guide about breaking into the marketplace. Cutting through the noise, dispelling rumors and remaining positive, Before and After the Book Deal answers questions like: are MFA programs worth the time and money, and how do people actually sit down and finish a novel? Should you expect a good advance, and why aren’t your friends saying anything about your book? Before and After the Book Deal has over 150 contributors from all walks of the industry, including international bestselling authors, agents, editors, film scouts, translators, disability and minority activists, offering advice and sharing anecdotes about even the most taboo topics in the industry. Their wisdom will help aspiring authors find a foothold in the publishing world and navigate the challenges of life before and after publication with sanity and grace. Covering questions ranging from the logistical to the existential, Before and After the Book Deal is the definitive guide for anyone who has ever wanted to know what it’s really like to be an author.Our guest is: Courtney Maum, who is the author of five books, including Before and After the Book Deal, which Vanity Fair named one of the ten best books for writers, and The Year of the Horses, chosen by The Today Show as the best read for mental health awareness. A writing coach, director of the writing workshop “Turning Points,” and educator, her mission is to help people hold on to the joy of art-making in a culture obsessed with turning artists into brands. Passionate about literary citizenship, she sits on the advisory councils of The Authors Guild and The Rumpus.Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, the producer of the Academic Life podcast. She holds a PhD in history, which she uses to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell.Listeners may also enjoy this playlist: The Artists Joy: A Guide to Getting Unstuck Becoming the Writer You Already Are The DIY Writing Retreat The Top Ten Struggles in Writing a Book Manuscript & What to Do About It Make Your Art No Matter What The Emotional Arc of Turning A Dissertation Into A Book Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! You can help support the show by posting, assigning or sharing episodes. Join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 200+ Academic Life episodes? Find them all here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices