Selection Criteria for Music Papers
The written component of the music papers will be evaluated using two
criteria: content and style. Content will be addressed through three
aspects: relevance, validity and innovation. Style will be appraised
through four aspects: accuracy, clarity, simplicity and readability.
The musical examples
accompanying the paper will be analyzed for their consistency with the
written material, using two criteria for evaluation: relevance and
technique.
Written Paper
1. Content.
The content or core idea of the paper should be powerful,
relevant, valid and innovative and it should be supported with
significant musical results.
- Relevance. The topic must be relevant and important to the computer
music audience. The paper must present or support a finding or
conclusion with significant value to that audience. One measure is the
degree to which the ideas or results presented can be reused or built
upon by others.
Another measure (particularly for music papers) is the paper's value
to the music community as an example of innovative application of
technologies, methods, and concepts, with significant aesthetic
results.
- Validity. Validity refers to the strength and intellectual quality
of the idea, how supporting rationale are expressed, and the soundness
of the processes in reaching the results. Validity does not refer to
the idea itself, but rather to the value of the idea and how that
value is developed or demonstrated in the paper. The author(s) should
provide a convincing rationale supporting the paper's claims and
conclusions. Hence, discussion and development of the idea must be
based on accepted principles of logic and technical inquiry. Technical
approaches should be grounded in the scientific method and the
accepted technical theory in the computer music field. Deviations and
proposed extensions to these should be clearly stated, supported and
rationalized. Evaluations must be based on solid reasoning and logic
and must present consistent artistic results.
- Innovation. Innovation refers to the contribution of significant new
information, insight or aesthetic outcome. The paper need not be on a
totally new or original subject. However, the paper's results should
be unique, non-obvious and significant. The paper could include
support for,
questioning of, or rejection of an already published method, approach
or theory. It could be a novel way of treating at a familiar subject.
The degree of innovation in approach, ideas, methods and results are
at the core of this criterion.
2. Writing Style. Writing style refers to the manner in which
the topic is presented rather than the topic itself. The principal
elements of good writing style are accuracy, clarity, simplicity and
readability. Papers that, although technically correct, do not also
reflect excellence in writing style may not be reviewed favorably. The
writing style of the paper should be appropriate to the computer music
audience. Papers for the non-technical audience should be labeled
Tutorial and reviewed as such.
- Accuracy. Specific, technical, language must be used. Vague or
undefined terms should be avoided.
- Clarity. Clarity requires an unambiguous and logical organization of
the paper. Strong transitions and concise language enable the reader
to easily follow the author's train of thought. Trivia, exhaustive
detail and stilted language should be avoided. Proper emphasis should
be placed on the
paper's primary idea. This idea should be concisely supported and not
overshadowed by secondary ideas and detail.
- Simplicity. To hold the reader's attention, the author should convey
an idea as quickly and clearly as possible. Words should be common to
the subject of computer music and not overblown, weighty or
exaggerated. Simplicity means conciseness by eliminating redundant,
non-contributing words
that merely fill a sentence.
- Readability. Readability refers to a smooth, easy-to-read style
using carefully selected words, appropriately formal and informal
grammar and sentence variations. Irrelevant and self-serving asides
detract from the desired tone of a paper and quickly lose the reader's
attention and interest.
Pompous, obsolete, careless or incorrect words distract the reader
from the author's essential purpose: to get across the ideas and
supporting information quickly and effectively.
Musical Examples
All papers should be accompanied by musical examples. If the paper
does not deal with or discuss musical material then it will be
reviewed by the Technical Committee.
Technique:
Technique refers to the compositional, computational or accessory
methods employed. It should appraised through internal and external
consistency. Internal consistency refers to the thoroughness and
solidity of the musical approach. External consistency refers to the
relevance and appropriateness of the application of methods extracted
from other disciplinary fields.
Relevance:
The examples should be analyzed for their musical content and their
contribution to the music literature. Works that provide a novel
musical outcome and a novel format should be rated higher than works
that only provide contributions of technical content.
SBCM 2009 Music Comitee
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