“The APL Review”
Vector 9:4, page 20
Transcribed from the printed issue; not yet reviewed. Read it in the PDF of the issue, page 20
Announcing “The APL Review”¶
A new and unique Journal for the International APL Community will be launched by the British APL Association in 1994. The APL Review will be fully refereed to the high standards required by the academic and research world, and edited by an international team of APL experts in a wide variety of fields.
Why a refereed journal? For many years now APL (and more recently J) has been employed by researchers who require more flexibility in their computing than is offered by other languages. For the result of their work to be added effectively to the accepted body of scientific knowledge two things are needed: (i) it must be “audited” (refereed) by their peers and (ii) it must be disseminated as widely as possible among those who may wish to use or add to the work. People who use APL professionally are well aware that they can learn a great deal from each other, even when their fields of study or application are very different. While an accountant is unlikely to read a software engineering journal, APLers in both disciplines will read an APL journal.
Why not Vector? A good question — Vector itself is one of the most widely read APL journals. But part of its appeal lies in its informal treatment of its subject matter. The more formal language and presentation of scientific “papers” sits awkwardly with the lighter tone of Vector, although many of the articles included in Vector over the years could have been presented as papers, and researchers have difficulty gaining credibility with peer review bodies when their articles are published in a journal alongside matter of a lighter nature. Vector will continue in its rôle, serving the whole of the APL community at all levels.
What about the annual International Conference proceedings? The APL Quote Quad volumes containing the papers presented at the annual conferences certainly play a vital rôle in disseminating the work of those who participate in the conferences, and we hope that they will continue to do so. Not everyone who works with APL can attend the conferences, however, and not all work can be presented in a paper of suitable length to be included in the proceedings. More extensive topics often have to be presented as tutorial sessions, and for academics in particular this does not satisfy the need to have their work fully refereed and published. It is right that we should bring our work to the conference and share our experiences in this invaluable way, but for many areas of study a short paper for the purposes of conference presentation does not do justice to the work.
What sort of subjects will be covered? Virtually any original, serious application of APL or J. We will be looking for statistics, econometrics, engineering, actuarial applications, simulation, operational research and so on — all the areas where the language can be used to promote research and insight. At the same time, it will provide a vehicle for discussion of theoretical aspects of the languages themselves.
Who will read The APL Review? Everyone interested in APL. The wide subject coverage should ensure that there is something for everyone. Although by its nature it is a “serious” journal, this does not mean that the subject matter should necessarily be dry or purely technical. Journals are about communication, and The APL Review will publish papers that communicate at a level that is accessible to a large readership.