Research Policy journal calls for Open Source papers

Research Policy (an academic journal on
technology and management)is calling for papers for a special issue on open source
software development to be published in 2003. The phenomenon of open-source
software (OSS) and free software development is attracting increasing
interest from practitioners and academics alike. The aim of this special
issue is to both stimulate research on OSS and to provide a progress report
for the field.

Guest Editors: Eric von Hippel, Sloan School of Management, MIT and and Georg von Krogh , Institute of Management, University of St.Gallen. Submission deadline: December 31, 2001.

Both empirical and theoretical submissions are invited.
Examples of topics include:

• What software architecture is suitable to open source software
  development?
• How is module-writing coordinated, and how are bugs identified and fixed
  in the open source software development process?
• What is the nature and effectiveness of mechanisms employed in OSS
  versus conventional software development projects?
• What are the implications of the open source model for the process of
  innovation in software development and other fields?
• How does the efficiency of open source software projects compare with
  those of projects developed by traditional methods?
• How are innovators rewarded for participation in open source projects?
• How do open source communities evolve and what is the nature of the
  governance structure of open source communities?

We encourage authors rooted in disciplines including sociology, economics,
social psychology, as well as technology, innovation and strategic
management, to consider a submission of their OSS related work. We welcome
conceptual contributions, quantitative data analyses using a variety of
methodological designs (e.g. simulations, field studies, archival studies,
laboratory experiments), as well as case studies, participant-observations,
ethnographies, and other research strategies that help shed light on OSS
development.

Submission details

Authors should submit their papers to: Professor Georg von Krogh, Institute
of Management, University of St.Gallen, Dufourstrasse 48, CH-9000 St.Gallen,
Switzerland. E-mail: georg.vonkrogh@unisg.ch. Authors should prepare their
manuscripts according to Research Policy’s instructions to authors. Please
find these instructions at Research Policy’s homepage at
http://www.elsevier.nl/homepage/sae/econbase/respol/menu.sht. Every
submission will be reviewed according to the double-blind review process of
Research Policy.

A special issue conference will be held at MIT or in St.Gallen in September
2002. Updates and additional information on the special issue, suggested
topics and the special issue conference might be found at
http://opensource.mit.edu.