2009 INTERNATIONAL PAPER CONTEST

The Special Interest Group on International Information Issues (SIG-III) of the American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) is pleased to announce its tenth competition for papers to be submitted for the 2009 Annual Meeting, which will take place in Vancouver, BC, Canada, November 6 -11, 2009.

The theme of this year’s paper contest is: "Thriving on Diversity - Information Opportunities in a Pluralistic World".

The theme may be addressed at either the country or regional level issues. Papers could discuss issues, policies and case studies on specific aspects of the theme, such as, but not limited to the following (mainly adopted from the conference theme):

• Multilingual information systems 
• Cross-language information retri 
• Accessibility and cultural factors in system design and information services
• Cross-border data flows 
• Open access and cultural diversity 
• Information literacy and challenges of harmony versus hegemony 
• The role of international organizations in building on diversity 
• Digital inclusion 
• Social networking in a linguistically and culturally rich environment 
• Information behavior in diverse contexts 
• Knowledge management in diverse contexts
• Information policy 

There will be up to six winners who will be selected by a panel of judges including Hong Xu (Chair), Jonathan Levitt (Co-Chair), Aaron Bowen, Nadia Caidi, Yunfei Du, Daqing He, Macia Lei Zeng.

Selection Criteria

Papers will be selected through a peer review process. The judging criteria will be based on:

• Originality of paper in the developing world environment (originality of the project described, etc.)
• Relevance to the Paper contest.
• Presentation and organization.
• Style. The international paper contest committee requires that submissions follow the International Information and Library Review instructions to authors. Detailed information is available under the heading, Guide for Authors at: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/622845/authorinstructions 

The prize for each winner is a two-year individual membership in ASIS&T. In the case of multiple authors, the principal author will be awarded the ASIS&T membership. In addition, depending on SIG III fundraising for this competition, the first place winner will be rewarded a minimum of $1,000 toward travel, conference registration, and accommodations while attending the ASIS&T Annual Conference in Vancouver, BC, Canada, November 6 -11, 2009.

Publishing opportunities

Submitted papers will be considered for inclusion in a special issue of the International Information and Library Review, subject to the usual peer refereeing process, for that journal.

Information for authors

Only papers by a principal author who is a citizen of, and resides in a developing country are eligible. Winners in the 2005-2008 contests are not eligible. The papers should be original, unpublished, and ONLY in English. We encourage submissions from librarians, information and network specialists, and educators involved in the creation, representation, maintenance, exchange, discovery, delivery, and use of digital information.

ASIS&T Copyright Policy

ASIS&T will have the non-exclusive right to publish any of the papers submitted on its web site or in print, with ownership and all other rights remaining with the author.

Deadline for submission of full papers

Authors are invited to submit manuscripts, not to exceed 5,000 words, by May 31, 2009, to hgxu@pitt.edu, preferably as Microsoft Word attachments.

Please check the SIG III website (http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGIII/index.htm) for more information about the SIG III International Paper Contest, including Frequently Asked Questions, past CFPs, previous winners and winning papers, and stories from previous winners.