DH 2008

The international Programme Committee invites submissions of abstracts of between 750 and 1500 words on any aspect of humanities computing and the digital humanities, broadly defined to encompass the common ground between information technology and issues in humanities research and teaching. As always, we welcome submissions in any area of the humanities, particularly interdisciplinary work. We especially encourage submissions on the current state of the art in humanities computing and the digital humanities, and on recent and expected future developments in the field.

Suitable subjects for proposals include, for example,


 * text analysis, corpora, corpus linguistics, language processing, language learning


 * creation, delivery and management of humanities digital resources


 * collaboration between libraries and scholars in the creation, delivery, and management of humanities digital resources


 * computer-based research and computing applications in all areas of literary, linguistic, cultural, and historical studies, including interdisciplinary aspects of modern scholarship


 * use of computation in such areas as the arts, architecture, music, film, theatre, new media, and other areas reflecting our cultural heritage


 * research issues such as: information design and modelling; the cultural impact of the new media


 * the role of digital humanities in academic curricula

Proposals should report significant and substantive results and will include reference to pertinent work in the field (up to 10 items) as part of their critical assessment.

The range of topics covered by humanities computing can also be consulted in the journal of the associations: Literary and Linguistic Computing (LLC), Oxford University Press.

The deadline for submitting paper, session and poster proposals to the Programme Committee is November 18, 2007 (midnight Universal Time). All submissions will be refereed. Presenters will be notified of acceptance by February by 13, 2008.

The electronic submission form will be available at the conference site from October 15th, 2007. See below for full details on submitting proposals.

Proposals for (non-refereed, or vendor) demos and for pre-conference tutorials and workshops should be discussed directly with the local conference organizer as soon as possible.

For more information on the conference in general please visit the conference web site, at http://www.ekl.oulu.fi/dh2008/.

II. Types of Proposals

Proposals to the Programme Committee may be of three types: (1) papers,

(2) poster presentations and/or software demonstrations (poster/demos), and (3) sessions (either three-paper or panel sessions). The type of submission must be specified in the proposal.

Proposals to the Programme Committee may be presented in English and any of the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. Conference presentations may be in these languages as well, and the Programme Committee encourages presenters to consider multilingual presentations (for example, a presentation in one language with accompanying slides or handouts accommodating speakers of another language).

1) Papers

Proposals for papers (750-1500 words) should describe original work:

either completed research which has given rise to substantial results, or the development of significant new methodologies, or rigorous theoretical, speculative or critical discussions. Individual papers will be allocated 20 minutes for presentation and 10 minutes for questions.

Proposals that concentrate on the development of new computing methodologies should make clear how the methodologies are applied to research and/or teaching in the humanities, and should include some critical assessment of the application of those methodologies in the humanities. Those that concentrate on a particular application in the humanities should cite traditional as well as computer-based approaches to the problem and should include some critical assessment of the computing methodologies used. All proposals should include conclusions and references to important sources. Those describing the creation or use of digital resources should follow these guidelines as far as possible.

2) Poster Presentations and Software Demonstrations (Poster/Demos)

Poster presentations may include computer technology and project demonstrations. The term poster/demo refers to the different possible combinations of printed and computer based presentations. The poster/demo sessions build on the recent trend of showcasing some of the most important and innovative work being done in humanities computing. By definition, poster presentations and project demonstrations are less formal and more interactive than a standard talk. They provide the opportunity to exchange ideas one-on-one with attendees and to discuss their work in detail with those most deeply interested in the same topic. Presenters will be provided with about two square meters of board space to display their work. They may also provide handouts with examples or more detailed information. Poster/demos will remain on display throughout the conference, but there will also be a separate conference session dedicated to them, when presenters should be prepared to explain their work and answer questions. Additional times may also be assigned for software or project demonstrations.

There should be no difference in quality between poster/demo presentations and papers, and the format for proposals is the same for both. The same academic standards should apply in both cases, but posters/demos may be a more suitable way of presenting late-breaking results, or significant work in progress, including pedagogical applications. Both will be submitted to the same refereeing process. The choice between the two modes of presentation (poster/demo or paper) should depend on the most effective and informative way of communicating the scientific content of the proposal.

As an acknowledgement of the special contribution of the posters and demonstrations to the conference, the Programme Committee will award a prize for the best poster.

3) Sessions

Sessions (90 minutes) take the form of either:

Three papers. The session organizer should submit a 500-word statement describing the session topic, include abstracts of 750-1500 words for each paper, and indicate that each author is willing to participate in the session;

Or

A panel of four to six speakers. The panel organizer should submit an abstract of 750-1500 words describing the panel topic, how it will be organized, the names of all the speakers, and an indication that each speaker is willing to participate in the session.

The deadline for session proposals is the same as for proposals for papers, i.e. November 18, 2007. This CfP was obtained from WikiCFP