FAQ

If you don't find your question here, please contact pre.scs.2022@gmail.com .

What is the SCS 2022?

The Short Communications Satellite (SCS or SCS 2022) is a volunteer effort to stand-in for the Short Communications program for the (now-cancelled) in-person ICM. It will collect and curate posters and slide sets as PDFs, and set up a digital poster room to run alongside the virtual ICM in July 2022. It is independent from the IMU. Information on other satellite activities is here.

Is it organized by the same people? Will it do the same things?

No, the Local Organizing Committee was organizing the original; a disjoint group is organizing the SCS. While we intend to preserve much of the purpose of the original SC program, we also want to encourage, collect, and evaluate examples of good short communications. Every selected entry will be on display during the entire Congress, anyone can view it, and some feedback will be solicited from the public.

How does it work?

Briefly, people become members of the SCS by registering. Many will submit content, many will review, and some will judge. Anyone who submits an entry will be asked to review other entries. Based on the review reports and the judging, the organizers will select entries for display in a virtual “Poster Room”. See the Overview for more detail.

What can I submit?

Each member can submit 1 poster and/or 1 slide set as a PDF. If a member submits two entries, they should be on different subjects. An entry should meet certain criteria: It should be short, it should communicate well, and it should fit in one of the twenty sections of mathematics. (Here is the section list.)

Does it have to be all new and original? Can I use someone else's stuff?

The goal of the SCS is to make recent (with respect to July 2022) research in mathematics available to the public in the form of brief and accessible chunks. The organizers prefer that the member mention one or two of their recent results in their entry, but realize that older research needs to be mentioned to put the recent work in proper context.

Short answer: you should use someone else's stuff only if you have permission to use it and can properly give the SCS permission to display and archive it.

Long answer: You should only use material in your submission which constitutes fair use and for which you have permission to use. Many instances of quoting or referring to published research constitute fair use, but using images and other data objects may not be. You should consult experts in your area on these issues. Note that the SCS does not have resources to pay for licenses or to seek permission on your behalf: you have to determine if you have permission. Further, you need to have the power to grant SCS and its agents the rights to publish and archive your entry; this becomes more challenging if your entry uses outside material.

What if my work doesn't fit in one section?

For organization and indexing purposes, it helps to have an entry fit in one or two sections, and to have just one corresponding author. For display purposes, additional authors, affiliations, and sections will be allowed. The registration and entry upload forms will have room for this information.

Do I have to submit an entry? Can I help in some other way?

No, you do not have to submit an entry. The organizers will ask your help to review and/or judge entries. You can also help by providing feedback regarding the SCS policies.

How large can a submission be?

We are still determining guidelines. Short means 1000 words or less: if it takes ten minutes to read the words to yourself, it is too long. Thirty slides or less with thirty words per slide, and a (36x24 in) or (90x60 cm) poster with 8 or fewer sections each about 100 words is a better upper bound. One judging criterion is how easy it is to read your entry: few small fonts is not so good, no small fonts is better.

Note that some people will use tablets or cell-phones to read your entry: it helps if your format accommodates that audience. Landscape orientation is preferred over portrait.

What languages can I use?

The bulk of the content should be in scientific English; we cannot provision for reviews in different languages.

Can I submit a video or different format?

For now we are encouraging PDF only; we are looking at experimenting with other formats. Contact the organizers at pre.scs.2022@gmail.com with some details about your using a different format..

Do I have to use a special style for my poster/slide set?

We will provide some suggested styles before the official submission date (April 20). The main requirement is acknowledgment of SCS 2022: we ask that you use the SCS 2022 logo or mention that your entry was submitted to the Short Communications Satellite 2022.

How do I register? How do I submit entries?

A registration form is now available. Registration is now closed (6-22). The form also has an email template for those who do not want to use the Google form. The entry form is linked from the registration form.

After you register, we will email you more information on content, reviewing, and other aspects of the satellite operation. We will ask you to "validate" the email address you use for email correspondence before we send you this information.

After validation, you can use another form to upload entries. We will have limited opportunity to accept revisions: Please have someone outside the SCS proofread your entry before you submit it.

Can I register for the SCS through the ICM?

No. The SCS is an independent effort from the activities of the IMU: these two efforts have no plans to exchange registration data. You must register separately for both the SCS and the ICM if you want to participate in both. (At this time, the ICM registration is up.)

(SCS registration is primarily for submission, collection, and judging. You do not have to register to view the poster room or provide public feedback: that will be open to all.)

How do I upload my files? Can I give them to you now?

As of April 20, you may use a submission form for uploading PDFs which is linked from the registration form.

I want to include some other data (programs, references, etc.). Can I?

No. We only want short communications, and those in PDF form. We recommend you advertise links to external files (files outside the SCS platform) on your user page, or provide a link in your entry.

User Page? What’s a User Page?

Each member who has a selected entry will have a User page in the Poster Room with their registration information. This page will have a small space the member can decorate with external links, contact information or other data appropriate for the SCS Poster Room. The page will also have links to the entries the user submitted, and acknowledgement of their efforts in the SCS (Reviewer, Judge, Organizer).

Can I see how my entry and my user page will look in the Poster Room?

After organizers select their submissions and assemble them, we will have some members test the Poster Room. To get the most out of this testing, we will schedule a block of time for you to check out your entries and others. This will be in late June/early July. We will index the user pages: the user page content should not be changed after selection (June 15). Please ensure the data you provide is correct and compliant by then.

How do I review?

We will provide detailed review guidelines when the review period begins. You will be given a list of entries to review and a form to fill out for each entry. You will review content for compliance with the guidelines given. It is anticipated to take less than half an hour to review an entry and fill out the form to submit.

How do I judge?

We will provide a judging rubric and guidelines for this a few weeks before the judging period begins. Judges will assess entries on aesthetics, impact, and other criteria for a good short communication.

Can I get feedback on my entry to improve it?

There will be very little time after the review period to modify an entry. We suggest you have colleagues or interested parties look at the guidelines and at your entry before you submit. Be aware that the deadline for registering is currently May 4 (extended) and for submitting is currently May 11 (extended). The organizers will use the review and judging reports for selection: it is in their discretion how much of that information to share.

During the Congress, the public will get to view and vote on submissions, as a rough measure on what makes a communication good. It is your choice whether to provide more contact information to solicit further feedback.

How do I contact the organizers?

There are several email addresses being used for the SCS. Before and during official registration, use pre.scs.2022@gmail.com. For inquiries involving review, judging, and entry submission, use cur.scs.2022@gmail.com. Other email addresses will be provided later for other portions. For general issues, use scs.vicm2022@gmail.com.

What are the list of section names?

See this list.