For those preparing ICTD papers, here are some unsolicited thoughts... On Writing ICTD Research Papers <http://research.microsoft.com/users/toyama/On Writing ICTD Research Papers.doc> "What makes ICTD research research, and not just reports about technology projects in rural villages? What does it mean to have economics and anthropology research side by side with computer science and electronic engineering? How can we preserve the integrity of methodologies developed by individual disciplines, while allowing for cross-fertilization among fields and a healthy respect for other disciplinary perspectives? Having served the conference in various capacities, I've asked these questions from a variety of perspectives, some of it in heated discussion with colleagues. Below is a sketch of what I arrived at for authors, particularly in terms of what constitutes good ICTD research and what goes in a good ICTD paper. It undoubtedly reflects my personal biases. Nevertheless, my hope is that the ideas below provide some guidance for those new to ICTD research or to authors submitting papers to the ICTD conference." I hope it's useful! Thanks, Kentaro ----------------------------------------------------------------- Kentaro Toyama (Microsoft Research India) Co-Founder, IEEE/ACM International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD) -----Original Message----- From: Richard Heeks [mailto:richard.heeks@manchester.ac.uk] Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2008 8:53 PM To: Richard Heeks Subject: IEEE/ACM ICTs and Development '09 Conference: Funding, Paper Deadline and Submissions Conference paper submissions for the 3rd IEEE/ACM International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD2009) are due by 22ND SEPTEMBER 2008. Submissions can be made via: http://ictd2009.confmaster.net/ Author instructions are available at: http://ictd2009.org/submissions.html The ICTD2009 Conference will be held 17-19 April 2009 at Carnegie-Mellon's state-of-the-art campus in Doha, Qatar (http://www.ictd2009.org). This conference will act as a focal point for new scholarship in the field of ICT and international development. Confirmed speakers include a keynote by William H. Gates, Chairman of Microsoft Corporation. We aim to provide funding for attendance of one author of each paper accepted for oral presentation at the conference. We are working to raise additional sponsorship to cover attendance of other participants, with priority given to students and participants from developing countries. We invite submission of conference papers relating to use of ICTs for development according to the following schedule: September 22, 2008 Submissions due January 15, 2009 Final decisions sent out to authors February 20, 2009 Camera-ready papers due April 17-19, 2009 Conference Only original, unpublished papers in English will be considered, through double-blind review. Word-length limit: 8000 words. All papers will be printed in the conference proceedings, and some will be developed for a journal special issue. Do contact us if you have any queries about ICTD2009, or about submission of a paper. Richard Heeks (U. Manchester), Rahul Tongia (Carnegie-Mellon U.) Programme Committee Co-Chairs, ICTD2009