Communications of the ACM Relaunched as Web-First Publication

ACM has relaunched Communications of the ACM (CACM) 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.