PLDI 2014 Survey

Comments

The respondents were asked to provide textual comments explaining why they publish in journals.
##   [1] In part to fulfill expectations of my department and sometimes (less often) when a paper really would benefit from more details.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
##   [2] the papers were rejected from conferences so journals are a second best option                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
##   [3] When I am unable to fit all essential details into a conference paper                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
##   [4] I do not, but co-authors sometimes submit journal versions because their universities want this                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
##   [5] Livelihood                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
##   [6] long-form writing is nice sometimes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
##   [7] can submit any time, less unpredictable outcome                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
##   [8] (a) looser length constraints let me say what I mean; (b) (less important) CV fodder                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
##   [9] more space                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
##  [10] Offer a venue for publishing well-polished comprehensive work without silly page limits.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
##  [11] For me, the valuable part about journals is the review process, not the badge that says "journal".                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
##  [12] Prestige; more careful reviewing; more space to present                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
##  [13] if there is substantial extension to the conference paper.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
##  [14] It's the right thing to do! We shouldn't have to express our ideas in {10,12} pages of sigplanconf.cls.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
##  [15] "Full versions" of papers, and extensions of papers that would not make it at top conferences                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
##  [16] archiving larger description of body of work                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
##  [17] venue for extended conference publications                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
##  [18] In my country, conferences do not count in bibliometrics, and bibliometric indicators are crucial for career advancements and funding. In the fight for resources, CS is likely to succumb to other disciplines where journals are considered to be the only respectable publication venues.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
##  [19] longer papers, checking a box that others may expect on my resume                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
##  [20] My employer prefers journals.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
##  [21] Journals receive a higher score in the evaluation from the Ministry, no matter how good a conference is                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
##  [22] the proposed change seems dangerous and silly, why devalue the pldi publication?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
##  [23] retrospective. archival. more space.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
##  [24] Computer Science is very small at my institution, and journals are respected across disciplines.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
##  [25] was invited after conference. I stopped doing that, it is a waste of time                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
##  [26] Venue for extended version of conference paper                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
##  [27] Complete the previously published work, publish work for the first time when not a good fit for a conference (e.g., required pages too long)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
##  [28] To present archival and final version of work.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
##  [29] As the work can be described in more detail, intricacies, nuances, and all to help the reader easily understand, replicate, and deconstruct the contribution and enable future developments.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
##  [30] Sufficient length to tutor readers in the basics of the other field; better feedback                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
##  [31] I don't                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
##  [32] most important evaluation criteria for research funding in South America                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
##  [33] because I have to,  not because I think it is worthwhile                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
##  [34] A comprehensive paper about a multi-year research project, summarizing several conference papers, adding new experiments, etc.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
##  [35] Archival recording of results, acceptance by University administration                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
##  [36] Required by my employer                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
##  [37] cv                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
##  [38] I stopped a while ago.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
##  [39] Expected by university promotion committees (both for me and for my students and postdocs).  And it's the way ideas get really polished and finished.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
##  [40] publication record of the university                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
##  [41] Due to my employer's requirements                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
##  [42] Incentive structure in academia rewards it                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
##  [43] Better, more detailed reviews.  Conversation with the reviewers (revisions).  No page limits.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
##  [44] Better reviews                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
##  [45] Invitations; extended versions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
##  [46] * archiving with extra details                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
##  [47] Required for funding and promotion                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
##  [48] To meet the expectation of the university                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
##  [49] Only because of expectations by colleagues in other domains                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
##  [50] don't do it anymore, not relevant to my area                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
##  [51] to submit to the ieee micro top picks special issue solicitation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
##  [52] standard practice in other fields                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
##  [53] I don't have a choice. At the University level, "journals" is what counts.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
##  [54] Required by department.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
##  [55] tenure evaluation                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
##  [56] Requirement and prestigious                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
##  [57] CV                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
##  [58] Revised material                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
##  [59] Because my employer demands these types of publications                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
##  [60] expected to                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
##  [61] avoid space constraints, create archival versions                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
##  [62] In the Italian national research assessment, no paper at any conference was ranked at the top                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
##  [63] Avoiding artificial deadlines, long review times (see e.g. TACO 2.0 model), limited expertise in the PC, limited response options and randomness of the process, exagerate impact of English proficiency in conferences, exagerate "fashion" trends in conferences, immature publication culture leading to excessive travel and waste of energy (PC meetings)                                                                                                                                                                                                          
##  [64] To publish more detailed accounts of my results than is possible in conferences (page limits, deadlines, etc)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
##  [65] Better understanding of journal publications within my university. Increased opportunity to improve the work with the help of experts compared to the hit-or-miss conference reviewing process.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
##  [66] higher quality and more objective reviews                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
##  [67] The work is best presented in more that 10 pages or so                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
##  [68] my department head told me it would be good for my tenure case                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
##  [69] For employment and promotions, colleges of engineering expect and value journal publications.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
##  [70] I only submitted to conferences, where, IMHO, the focus is on innovation. Journals, on the other hand, seem more focused on making science accessible, so the two complement eachother very well. Thus, IMHO, there's no need to overlap them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
##  [71] promotion                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
##  [72] To make a publication out of a more polished and complete version of work previously published in a conference.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
##  [73] review quality                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
##  [74] Tenure requirements                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
##  [75] more space                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
##  [76] Greater value to my employer                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
##  [77] (1) longer in-depth paper (2) co-authors are academics and want journal publications.    Since you failed to provide a free-text form, here is my general feedback.  I am opposed to publishing a sub-set of SIGPLAN'                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
##  [78] My co-authors have to, because of academic bean counting.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
##  [79] Balanced publication record                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
##  [80] To finish up a conference paper with new insights or experiences that wouldn't fit in another publication.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
##  [81] long term visibility of the results                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
##  [82] Space                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
##  [83] Good idea to work out (and have incentive to present) all details + looks better on CV than only having conference papers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
##  [84] Share fully mature work                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
##  [85] In the recent Italian research assessment exercise and tenure habilitation procedure, basically only journals matter.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
##  [86] finished, mature version of work                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
##  [87] In Brazil, it gives more credit for an academic career.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
##  [88] my students sometimes need journal publications if they work for an employer that is clueless about computer science                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
##  [89] Better review process                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
##  [90] CV                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
##  [91] Employer expectation plus I like to publish polished papers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
##  [92] No submission deadline, no requirement to attend.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
##  [93] complete, archival publications that represent the culmination of a particular avenue of research                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
##  [94] My employer (a top-10 CS department in the US) formally told me in my mid-tenure review that I was falling short on journal publications.  Informally, I have been told not to take this lightly, and that it could become a serious issue at tenure time as my case goes higher up.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
##  [95] career                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
##  [96] Archival of detailed, stabilised research material.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
##  [97] Impact factor                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
##  [98] expected by my employer                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
##  [99] only journals matter in carrier                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
## [100] for my employer                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
## [101] cheaper than fliying to a conf                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
## [102] Aggregate results from multiple papers for a better overview of results.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
## [103] Increased page limit, opportunity for a real revision cycle with reviewer feedback, opportunity to publish a "capstone" paper on a topic                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
## [104] it meets the expectations of my employer                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
## [105] It is a fight we cannot win (see http://www.dagstuhl.de/mat/Files/12/12452/12452.HermenegildoManuel.Paper.pdf)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
## [106] Conference publications do not count in evaluations of Spanish projects. Ph.D. students in our sister award granting institution can only defend if they have published one or two papers in journals (PLDI and POPL do not count)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
## [107] requirement for phD                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
## [108] Academic standards                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
## [109] More space for self contained versions                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
## [110] 1) sometimes a conference publication is not enough to publish all the interesting results one has. 2) some employers give more weight to journal publications, especially if they come form an Engineering background.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
## [111] Primarily because it's good scholarship. My journal papers are substantially improved versions of the corresponding conference submissions (even if they appeared in  POPL/PLDI/ICFP etc.). In fact, going through the exercise of writing journal papers gives me the opportunity to correct errors, provide compelling, fully implemented examples, work out/mechanize full proofs, and provide clarifications that are impossible to write within the confines of a conference submission. The exercise of writing a journal paper forces me to not take short cuts. 
## [112] Invitation to publish                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
## [113] more details                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
## [114] dissemination, prestige                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
## [115] expected by my employer:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
## [116] While journal papers are not "expected", for tenure faculty are encouraged to have a few journal papers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
## [117] As stated above, conferences are often considered weak by members of other fields of science.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
## [118] Journal versions polish the conference versions, which is necessary for high quality research.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
## [119] greater length; "archival"/retrospective viewpoint                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
## [120] expanding the treatment of a conference paper                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
## [121] The dialog with the reviewers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
## [122] employers and grants expectations                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
## [123] To have a complete version that is peer-reviewed                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
## [124] Employment requirements                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
## [125] I like to publish extended versions of my work, with full technical details.  There is no space for those details in a conference paper, even a long conference paper like OOPSLA's.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
## [126] Time to the final decision for acceptance                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
## [127] Longer page limits, less binary reviewing                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
## [128] required for tenure                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
## [129] to publicize my work and to satisfy university requirement                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
## [130] Because there is substantial new addendum to the conference paper and because my employer keeps asking for the number of journal publications.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
## [131] better reviewing process                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
## [132] university compulsions                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
## [133] Prestige                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
## [134] I used to be a professor, so I played the game and did the minimal number of journal papers to get tenure. Now my corporation doesn't care, so I don't bother.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
## [135] TOPLAS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
## [136] Required by employer                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
## [137] required                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
## [138] archival, thorough multi-stage review process, room for reporting detailed results                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
## [139] Recognition in bibliometric measurements                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
## [140] lower price, longer paper, appreciated by my university.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
## [141] for technical and/or long versions with proofs                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
## [142] Maturer state of research. One can argue with the reviewers. Sponsors expect it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
## [143] longer and because my Faculty encourages it (heavily)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
## [144] Tenure and Promotion                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
## [145] expected for promotion, publish without need for travelling                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
## [146] Some institutions require the publication of Journals to advance in the academic career                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
## [147] while a graduate student                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
## [148] Longer versions are better records of the ideas. Journal typesetting is often much easier to read.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
## [149] i) It is prestigious; ii) My group receives a monetary prize every time a member publishes a journal paper                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
## [150] Required for tenure & promotion                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
## [151] No page limit (I can write full proofs), only journal publications count in my university                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
## [152] CV (to avoid the non-understanding of conferences), and for space reasons (typically no page limit)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
## [153] Longer papers, prioritized higher by employer and funding agencies                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
## [154] I get more helpful reviews. I don't feel I have to submit because there is a deadline for a conference (even though the paper is not finished yet). The paper can be more detailed and thorough.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
## [155] Longer format; conference papers sometimes too short                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
## [156] Important for my career                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
## [157] It's expected.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
## [158] My university values journal papers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
## [159] More detailed exposition, including proofs; space to include variants and other smaller results                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
## [160] credit, availability                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
## [161] conference page limits make every paper an extended abstract, and the reviewing process, while impressively thorough given its constraints, does not force the kind of reflection that a multi-stage review process does.  Rebuttal is not a substitute for this.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
## [162] archival                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
## [163] Publish or perish :-(                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
## [164] Extended paper invitations                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
## [165] Complete details can be included so that the paper becomes self-contained. Greater prestige (in some cases).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
## [166] They are cheap!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
## [167] to preserve a polished, complete account of a research project                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
## 166 Levels:  ...
Repeatability

A PDF file with questions asked in this poll is here.
A CSV file with answers is [here](http://janvitek.org/who/pldi/data.csv.
A PDF file with the Google Form overview of the responses is here.
The R Markdown code for this document is here.
PLDI 2014 Survey

J. Vitek, for the SIGPLAN Executive Committee

March 29, 2015

Population

Publication Venues: Journals or Conferences

Open Access

Comments

Repeatability
