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Dexter Pressley
Jessica Camargo
English 1101
5 November 2013
ACIP Process Reflection
The primary process I followed while writing this paper was to perform both research and
writing simultaneously. As I came across a new source to cite for a new example, I’d quickly get
the information together in a format that made sense in my head, and I put it to paper. I went to
the WRC to get some tips for my citations in addition to seeking assistance with the general tone
and feel of the paper. I would say that the main difference in process between the ACIP and the
narrative is that I did a lot less of winging it on the ACIP. My thoughts became organized by the
sources as I wrote. I accepted that aspect of my writing process and went with it. I prefer winging
it, but my preference will ultimately be based on how well my paper stands up to grading policy.
If particular methods cost points in the end, then I will go ahead and adapt my strategy to
account for that. I think the way I went about composing this paper will likely have a positive
impact on the paper, giving it a more structured tone than other works I have produced. The most
challenging part of this paper had to be getting the citation for John Swales’ book. Also, I had to
face procrastination head on for several hours before I made headway on the paper. Sitting at 32
words for three hours before I got to 48 and stopped again was a hassle, but it was something I
got past with some self-motivation, in the form of panic of not having it done for my WRC
meeting the next morning. The main information that held my attention was the mile wide/inch
deep philosophy from our group interview.
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Does It Exist?
Despite writing to each other, computer scientists do not usually see themselves as part of
a greater community. Several people in the field of computer science simply are less informed in
regards to what a discourse community actually is. According to John Swales, a discourse
community “can be defined by: having a broadly agreed set of common public goals; having
mechanisms of intercommunication among its members; use of its participatory mechanisms
primarily to provide information and feedback; utilization and possession of one or more genres
in the communicative furtherance of its aims; ownership of some specific lexis; and having a
threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise
(471-73).” The discourse community working behind the scenes in computer science is a broad
network of intercommunicating individuals and organizations dedicated to the common goal of
solving problems through the use of computers to provide mutual, global benefit. Representative
factors of the computer science discourse community include professional societies, citation
styles, and the academic contexts involved in writing for higher level courses.
Concerning the professional societies relevant to computer science, two names recur: the
Association for Computing Machinery, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,
hereon referred to as ACM and IEEE, respectively. Each society produces publications that reach
a large audience. For instance, ACM consists of over 100,000 members and counting, while
IEEE holds over 425,000 constituents (ACM at a Glance & IEEE at a Glance). There is a
specified ACM citation style used in their publications that is present on their website. As a
counterpart to this, IEEE has a citation style of its own as well (IEEE Citation Reference). These
societies produce publications consistently throughout each year, including but not limited to:
Communications of the ACM, Computers in Entertainment, IEEE Cloud Computing, and
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IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, the last of which exemplifies the intercommunication
between groups for the sake of “publishing high-quality, original research results (IEEE/ACM
Transactions on Networking).” There is a submission process to get ones work into either
journal. For example, to submit work to ACM Transactions on Internet Technology, one must
submit his or her paper via the Manuscript Central website. A review will take place to validate
content of a paper, in both quality and scope. In the event that the paper is not cast out at this
point, it will be processed by either the Editor-in-Chief or an associate editor. After multiple
segments of review and possibility of revision, a work is eventually published (ACM TOIT –
Submission Instructions). The strenuous process of checking and editing ensures that quality of
published material meets the expectations of a respected institution.
The variant academic contexts throughout which writing related to computer science is
utilized in is comprised of a vast set of disciplinary focuses. As Bruce Long states, the
undergraduate education at UNC Charlotte is intended to be “a mild wide and an inch deep.”
This refers explicitly to the undergraduate system, because once an individual has decided what
they want to focus on, they can then go on to pursue a Master’s or another higher degree. The
computer science undergraduate program is split into three departments, those of Bioinformatics
and Genomics, Computer Science, and Software and Information Systems. The Computer
Science department draws in the majority of students, with over 750 pursuing that educational
route. Within Computer Science, a focus area is selected by individual students, and this requires
them to take particular classes during their years as upperclassmen. A Game Design and
Development student, for instance, would take ITCS 4120, 4230, 4231, 4235, 4236, and 4237,
whereas someone specializing in Networking and Distributed Computing would take ITCS 3166,
4131, 4145, 4146, and ITIS 3200 (Programs | Department of Computer Science). These courses
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act as a preview to a possible Master’s experience, while allowing those who simply want to go
into the working world with a Bachelor’s degree to do so with a deep skill set and breadth of
knowledge. The idea of a focus brought about by a Master’s degree can be clearly understood by
Long’s explanation that a Bachelor’s degree takes 40 courses, covering general education and
various necessities, whereas a Master’s degree, only requiring 10 courses, delves deeply into the
research and independent working fields of study. Higher level courses will involve writing
dependent upon the teacher of each particular course. Writing will be a necessity after students
leave college, regardless of whether or not individuals take heed of that, according to Long.
Though the concept and principle behind a discourse community may elude those
involved in the disciplines of computer science, those few people who go about their days
embracing the idea of communicating on a formal level with other intellectuals in their field of
expertise will not only gain a greater sense of knowledge in relation to their own subject path.
Those people will gather an intrinsic value of communication that cannot otherwise be imprinted
into the mindset that they withhold. Higher platforms of interaction with one another allot an
almost clique-like cluster of similarly-minded and impassioned people to come together to aim
for the progression of studies and applications throughout the global framework of society.
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Works Cited
"ACM at a Glance.” ACM. ACM, n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.
"ACM TOIT – Submission Instructions.” ACM. ACM, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
"IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking.” IEEE. IEEE, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
"IEEE at a Glance.” IEEE. IEEE, n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.
“IEEE Citation Reference.” IEEE 2009. PDF file.
Long, Bruce. Personal interview. 31 Oct. 2013.
"Programs | Department of Computer Science.” UNCC, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
Swales, John. Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge:
Cambridge Applied Linguistics, 1990. Print.