Call for Proposals: KM4Dev Journal Special Issue – Best Practices in Information & Data Management for Development Organizations
The Knowledge Management for Development Journal (KM4D Journal) is a peer-reviewed, community-based journal focused on knowledge management for development – for and by development practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. The journal is closely related to the KM4Dev community of practice and is currently inviting papers for a special issue on best practices in information and data management for development, to be published in May 2017. Guest Editors for this issue are Megan Zandstra (lead), Simone Staiger-Rivas, Leroy Mwanzia, Abby Clobridge, Iryna Kuchma, Abraham Azubuike, Michelle Willmers, and Nilam Prasai, with Denise Senmartin as Senior Editor.
Rationale
Recent advances in data and information management for development organizations highlight trends in managing research, expanding access, and empowering stakeholder interaction. Key questions remain:
- Will increased information and data availability reach the people who need it most?
- Are we making progress in reaching target users, and does internet/mobile access help bridge gaps?
- How are Open Access and Open Data changing institutional practices, requiring both technical and cultural change?
- Are students, development professionals, and the private sector using open resources effectively?
Medium and large organizations are making rapid progress by offering online information and data, joining digital repositories, and following international standards for metadata and data sharing. However, capacity challenges remain for small NGOs and community organizations.
Physical resource centers and libraries, though evolving, still play a vital role in supporting access and collaboration, especially in communities where digital infrastructure is limited.
As virtual solutions grow, organizations are experimenting with hybrid approaches to resource centers and collaboration spaces.
To increase impact, data and information managers are tracking research visibility through evolving metrics and tools. The core challenge is understanding the true utility of data and learning from users to improve organizational practices.
- How can organizations strengthen data analytical capacity and manage both qualitative and quantitative data, while ensuring ethical use and privacy?
Effective data and information management are essential for enabling knowledge sharing and organizational learning in the development sector. Enhanced access and application of information improve outcomes for intended users.
We invite contributions for the May 2017 issue of the KM4Dev journal that highlight best practices in organizational and institutional data and information management for development.
We especially welcome submissions on the following topics:
Organizing Information and Data
- Data and information management for small development organizations
- Collaboration and cost-sharing experiences
- Innovations in institutional repositories, metadata, and interoperability in the development sector
- Approaches to document translation, data quality, and grey literature – with emphasis on applicability and usability
- Curation strategies for enhanced access
Engaging Staff and Researchers
- Fostering cultural change through policies and knowledge-sharing practices
- Innovative ‘learning commons’ and evolving uses of institutional library spaces
- Transforming data and information management teams: collaboration across librarians, data managers, knowledge managers, IT support, and citizen scientists
Communicating Impact
- Monitoring and evaluating research outputs using new quantitative and qualitative metrics (e.g., Altmetrics)
- Case studies showing how open data and information are applied by stakeholders (e.g., policy-makers, grassroots organizations)
Your Contribution
The Special Issue will include articles, case studies, and other contributions. We especially encourage submissions from researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and activists from the Global South, and from all relevant disciplines. Submissions may be in English, French, German, Spanish, and a range of Slavic languages. Peer support is available for less-experienced writers.
Submission Guidelines
- Please submit a brief proposal including your paper’s title and an abstract (minimum one paragraph, maximum one page) via email.
- Submission deadline for title and abstract: October 3, 2016
- Acceptance of short proposal: October 17, 2016
- Submission of full paper: December 19, 2016
- Completion of peer-review: February 17, 2017
- Submission of final paper: March 15, 2017
- Publication date: May 1, 2017
For further information and author guidelines, please consult the journal’s website.
About the Guest Editors
- Senior Editor: Denise Senmartin
- Megan Zandstra – Library & Information Management, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
- Simone Staiger-Rivas – Leader, Data, Information & Knowledge Group, CIAT
- Leroy Mwanzia – Data & Information Manager, CIAT
- Abby Clobridge – Founder & Consultant, FireOak Strategies
- Iryna Kuchma – Open Access Program Manager, EIFL
- Abraham Azubuike – Chief of Unit, Information Analysis and Metadata Unit, Dag Hammarskjold Library, UN
- Michelle Willmers – ROER4D Curation and Dissemination Manager, University of Cape Town
- Nilam Prasai – Data Curator, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
