Communications of the ACM Relaunched as Open Access, Web-First Publication
Move Marks a Major Milestone in ACM’s Transition to Become a Fully Open Access Publisher
New York, NY, March 12, 2024 – ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, has relaunched Communications of the ACM (CACM), the organization’s flagship magazine, as a web-first publication, accessible to everyone without charge. First published in 1958, CACM is one of the most respected information technology magazines. Providing news, expert commentary, and peer-reviewed research, CACM straddles the lines between a popular science magazine, a technical resource for industry professionals, and a scientific journal. CACM regularly receives very high “impact factors”—a metric used in academic publishing to gauge a publication’s influence within its designated field.
The web-first model will allow ACM to publish articles more rapidly than before so that readers can keep abreast of the lightning-fast changes in the computing field. At the same time, researchers will be able to reference and cite valuable information and research from CACM articles more quickly. The reengineered website will also allow CACM authors to publish longer articles and make greater use of video and other multimedia content. And CACM will be even more user-friendly with improved search capabilities, more interactivity, simplified categorization of articles in new sections, daily content updates, and a modern, spacious design that lends itself to all devices.
In relaunching Communications of the ACM as an open access publication, all legacy and future CACM articles will be freely available to and accessible by everyone on the CACM website and in the ACM Digital Library. By opening CACM to the world, ACM hopes to increase engagement with the broader computer science community and encourage computing professionals and students everywhere to discover its rich resources and benefits. This will also benefit CACM authors by expanding their readership to a larger and more diverse audience. The community’s continued support of ACM through membership and the ACM Open model is essential to keeping ACM and CACM strong.
“CACM offers readers access to this generation’s most significant leaders and innovators in computing and information technology,” explained ACM President Yannis Ioannidis, a Professor at the University of Athens. “It also provides a critical outlet for researchers and practitioners to showcase their work. We believe the entire global computing community will benefit enormously by using CACM as a forum for presenting and discussing the most significant new ideas and results. We also believe that CACM’s web-first, open platform will showcase once again the leadership position of ACM in advancing the art, science, engineering, and application of computing by fostering the open exchange of information, and inspiring many more computing professionals to engage with and benefit from the rich spectrum of ACM activities.”
“As we’re taking CACM to a new level, we are also introducing it to a much broader audience,” explained CACM Editor-in-Chief James Larus. “Computing has grown enormously, with many tech publications and blogs. But most of them are aimed at a broad audience and do not delve into technical details. All computing professionals, whether they are an entry-level software engineer at a multinational corporation, a video game developer, or a computer scientist at a university, can stay current on the developments in the very broad field of computing by regularly reading CACM. Like those of us who are long-time ACM members, I am confident our new readers will visit the CACM website regularly.”
Larus, a Professor Emeritus at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, also predicted continued success for CACM. “As always, we listen to what our community needs and wants in a computing publication,” he added. “For that reason, the print version is not going away because many members like it. Even as we change the publication model, the foundation of CACM remains strong as ACM has sufficient resources to support a high-quality editorial process. We recognize that CACM’s 65-year legacy of excellence is made possible by its dedicated staff and volunteers and, of course, our authors and readers. I strongly encourage everyone to submit their best work to CACM so that the rest of the field can see it!”
About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.
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Jim Ormond
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