Computer Science Advice

[Steve Giovatto]

Hello guys,

I am a student doing a Ph.D. in Computer Science, and only recently
submitted my first paper (to a conference). I was wondering whether
any of you can give me some advice: Assuming I want to pursue a career
in the field (say, become an academic), how important are conference
papers vs journal papers? Obviously journal papers are more
'valuable', but by how much? It seems when I check scientist's web
sites, they have lots of conference papers and a few journal papers.

Is this a silly question..?

I will greatly appreciate any advice you can give.

My email is: steve_giovatto @ hotmail . com

Sincerely,
Steve

[n***@comcast.net]

Post by Steve Giovatto
I am a student doing a Ph.D. in Computer Science, and only recently
submitted my first paper (to a conference). I was wondering whether
any of you can give me some advice: Assuming I want to pursue a career
in the field (say, become an academic), how important are conference
papers vs journal papers? Obviously journal papers are more
'valuable', but by how much? It seems when I check scientist's web
sites, they have lots of conference papers and a few journal papers.
Is this a silly question..?

It's not a silly question at all -- in fact, it's a very important
question, but there are so many conflicting answers it's difficult to
give a cogent answer. In many areas of Computer Science (probably
most areas) conference publications, in high-quality conferences, are
the answer. But it must be a top conference. Depending on your area,
shooting for STOC/POPL/ISCA/SOSP/... is the best way to gain a
reputation as a solid researcher.

There's a good document that the CRA put out on faculty evaluation,
which you can read here: http://www.cra.org/reports/tenure_review.html
Here's a good quote:

Relying on journal publications as the sole demonstration of
scholarly achievement, especially counting such publications to
determine whether they exceed a prescribed threshold, ignores
significant evidence of accomplishment in computer science and
engineering. For example, conference publication is preferred in
the field, and computational artifacts -- software, chips, etc. --
are a tangible means of conveying ideas and insight. Obligating
faculty to be evaluated by this traditional standard handicaps
their careers, and indirectly harms the field.

Pretty strong statement. But being a realist, you have to ask why
they would feel it necessary to make such a strong statement. The
reason is because some people WILL evaluate you by the number of
journal articles, and won't understand the significance of conferences
in the field. If you're pursuing an academic career in Computer
Science, and your field values conference papers highly, but your dean
(who has to approve your tenure case) only values journal papers, then
in the real world you have to deal with that.

So the only real solution is to walk on water and do everything
perfectly. Publish in both conferences and journals. Simple enough?

[David Alex Lamb]

Post by Steve Giovatto
Hello guys,
I am a student doing a Ph.D. in Computer Science, and only recently
submitted my first paper (to a conference). I was wondering whether
any of you can give me some advice: Assuming I want to pursue a career
in the field (say, become an academic), how important are conference
papers vs journal papers? Obviously journal papers are more
'valuable', but by how much? It seems when I check scientist's web
sites, they have lots of conference papers and a few journal papers.
Is this a silly question..?

The answer depends on the conference. Computing has many conferences that
select 20% or less or submissions; these are often valued nearly as highly as
journals. A conference that isn't as selective may not be regarded as highly.

Which conferences are worthwhile depends on your subfield within computing.
For example, in my field, the International Conference on Software Engineering
is highly regarded (last time I looked, anway; I've been on disability leave
for several years.) You need to let people know what your field is if you
want to get useful feedback on the important conferences.