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Dear Socnet members–
The editorial board of the Journal of Social Structure
announces (what we hope to be) the first annual symposium on network
visualization.
Theme: Visualization in the Service of Understanding
The network study of social structure has consistently
relied on unique visualizations to capture the rich, multi-dimensional aspects
of social network structure. However, there is often an uncomfortable
tension between “flashy eye-candy” that does little to illuminate a social
process and scientific substance.
For this symposium issue, we challenge network researchers
to produce a single figure and caption that tells a compelling scientific story
in a way that tables or text alone could not. Given the on-line
mission of JoSS, we encourage the use of tools optimized for on-line
presentation, such as careful use of color, motion, or interactivity (though
these are not required, nor always helpful!).
Submission details:
· The
work should be a single figure (movie, interactive image, etc.) with a
caption. The caption should be limited to approximately 350 words and a
viewer should be able to understand your project from the image and caption
alone. To be clear; we *do not* want a full scientific article; just a
telling snapshot.
· Substantive
content is open, but should fit broadly under the general umbrella of social
networks (so pure math, circuit diagrams, etc. are unlikely to fit unless they
can be linked to social processes of interest to JoSS readership).
· Include
a self-commentary describing the challenges & techniques you used to create
the image. These descriptions will accompany the published work (this is
in addition to the 350 word caption).
· Your
submission implies you own the copy write to the material.
· All
submission materials will be sent for review, so please remove any
author-identifying information from the work as best you can. The reviews
will focus on fit (Is the work appropriate for JoSS?), competency (“Does the
work reflect solid science?”), and technical merit (“How well does the work do
at its stated goal”)? For the most part, we anticipate a friendly review
process, in the hopes of producing a symposium representing a wide array of
work styles. The review materials will be used to help shape the
editorial introduction to the symposium.
· Please
design your work for web resolutions. If you have large files, it may
make sense to check with us before submitting to help move them in an efficient
way!
· Submission
deadline: October 1st. We will strive to have the
review & publication process completed in time for the Sunbelt meetings,
and will likely produce a poster based on the submitted works.
Please consider submitting your work, if the response to the
symposium is positive, we anticipate making this an annual feature with varying
themes each year.
All the best,
Jim Moody for the JoSS Editorial Team