ASSTA Activities
ASSTA Activities
Guidelines for the Newsletter
Editor and Editorial Assistant(s)
1. The Editor shall be a member of the Association, but not necessarily a member of the Executive Committee.
2. The Editorial role shall be an honourary position with no financial entitlement.
3. Other members of ASSTA may be coopted to manage specific sections of the newsletter such as the Conference Log or the Thesis Abstracts. These positions will have no financial entitlement.
4. An Editorial Assistant need not be a member of the Association. The Executive may, if requested, approve payment to the Editorial Assistant(s).
Newsletter Frequency and Design
5. The newsletter shall be published four times per year, at the end of March, June, September and December. The Association Secretary shall supply the Editor with an updated membership address list at least once a quarter to coincide with each issue.
6. Each yearly set of four issues will comprise one volume; each new volume starts with the March issue.
7. At the time of publishing these guidelines, the newsletter is produced as an A5 booklet containing between 12 and 20 pages per issue (i.e., 3 – 5 A4 pages folded).
8. While general design and layout are the responsibility of the Editor, no significant change in design may be made without prior approval of the Executive Committee.
Financial Arrangements
9. A budget shall be presented by the Editor on request from the Treasurer of the Association. The budget to include details on:
a) Any agreed remuneration made to the Editorial Assistant.
b) Photocopying of four issues per year
c) Stationary costs for four issues per year
d) Postage costs for four issues per year
10. Managing ongoing costs of publication should be by agreement between the Editor and the Treasurer of the Association. One possibility, however, is that the Editor arrange with the host Department (or similar) to underwrite the cost of each issue, and that ASSTA reimburse the Department within one month of the completion of each issue.
11. No changes to design, or publication and distribution procedures, that result in a significant increase in cost may be made without prior approval of the Executive Committee.
Content
11. The content of each issue of the newsletter is the responsibility of the Editor. Typically, however, the Editor will select from the following list of items:
a) Editorial
b) President’s Report
c) Comment Column – by senior ASSTA members on a topic of their choice but related to speech science and technology.
d) Conference Log
e) Conference Reports
f) Thesis Abstracts – of Student members or students of members.
g) News from the Labs – see separate note below (Clause 11)
h) Book Reviews
i) ASSTA Publications
j) Advertisements
k) Membership List
l) List of Corporate Members
m) Personel Details
n) ASSTA Guidelines
o) Electronic Services
In addition, there is always a page of editorial detail, and usually several smaller items in the form of brief notes or messages from the Executive Committee. Two forms the latter may take are a “Lost Box” and a “Bad Email Box” both designed to draw attention to members the Association cannot contact. Occasional pieces relating to ASSTA activities will be published when relevant; for example, details of the New Researcher Awards. Other items may be included at the Editor’s discretion.
Of the items listed above, each issue will contain an Editorial; either a President’s Report or a Comment Column; the list of Corporate Members; and the Conference Log. ASSTA Publications should appear at least twice a year; Electronic Services at least once a year; and the Membership List should appear at least once every two years, but preferably more often.
12. News from the Labs
This is usually the lengthiest and most detailed of any item that appears in the newsletter. It is designed to showcase individual labs and research groups. When approaching members to produce such a piece, the Editor must bear in mind the range of disciplines covered by ASSTA as well as the significant differences in size of organisation. The aim is to get a spread of disciplines and sizes across any one period. It is also important not to appear to showcase only those labs and research groups to which members of the Executive Committee belong.
While each “News from the Labs” will vary, the Editor should provide brief guidelines to the member who will be organising and writing the piece. In the past, contributors have been asked to provide up to 2500 words covering such topics as:
a) List of personnel
b) List of postgraduate students
c) Research projects, including grants and thesis projects
d) New appointments, promotions, retirements
e) Seminars/workshops held recently or upcoming
f) Visitors to the centre
g) Up to 15 recent publications (quantity is negotiable)
Placing Advertisements in the Newsletter
13. Advertisements in the ASSTA Newsletter should normally be related in some way to Speech Science and Technology, or be deemed by the Editor to be of relevance to the ASSTA membership. Other advertisements may from time to time be accepted at the discretion of the Editor after consultation with the Executive Committee.
14. Advertisements should be a maximum size of A5 and will normally be photo-ready. At the discretion of the Editor, advertisements may be accepted if not photo-ready.
15. Ordinary, Associate, and Student Members of ASSTA who are financial may place personal advertisements free of charge, assuming they conform to items 12 and 13 above.
16. Advertisements from institutions or companies may be accepted at a charge of $50 AUS, assuming they conform to items 12 and 13 above.
17. Advertisements by non-members may be accepted free of charge at the discretion of the Executive Committee. In general, these advertisements would have to generate benefit to ASSTA’s objectives – such benefit deemed by the Executive to outweigh the loss of the fee – and would have to conform to items 12 and 13 above.
Adopted by Executive –
This guideline incorporates the “Guidelines for Placing Advertisements in the Newsletter” adopted by Executive – 3rd September 1996
It should be noted that this set of guidelines is not a legally binding document but provides a guideline to practice for the Executive Committee.
Guidelines for National Lecture Tours Programme
The National Lecture Tours programme is intended to facilitate the dissemination of expertise of visiting overseas lecturers as widely as possible through the auspices of ASSTA.
ASSTA members are encouraged to notify ASSTA of impending visits of workers in the field of speech science and technology whose visit might be of interest to other members. This notice should include a CV of the person concerned, the approximate dates when they could be available to travel around Australia, and the topic or topics on which they would be prepared to give a public lecture. Some indication of the person’s ability and experience as a public speaker should also be included.
ASSTA’s involvement is intended to be that of a facilitator by means of coordinating interest and providing some seed funding to assist the programme and also by means of ensuring the best distribution of the visitor’s time, covering as much of the ASSTA membership as is feasible.
Notification of ASSTA in time for advertisement to members is an essential requirement for obtaining funding.
Once notified:
1. ASSTA will act as a clearing house for information about visiting scholars by placing information in the Newsletter or Electronic Bulletins regarding the visitor’s expertise and interests, and their current destinations and timetable.
2. ASSTA would invite indications of interest from its membership and, based on these, would prepare a list of places where members would appreciate a visit.
3. This information would be passed to the visitor, who could indicate the likelihood of being able to include extra time in their itinerary.
4. ASSTA would then coordinate the visit at the level of ensuring, to the degree possible, fairness and equity of access to the talks to be given by the visiting scholar, and the specific arrangements will be undertaken by the local organisers.
5. The draft proposal of visits would go back to the host to present to the visitor.
6. If accepted, ASSTA would notify the places which would be included on the intinerary and the local group would organise and pay for the lecture venue and any refreshments. The local group would also be responsible for booking and paying for the local travel segment for the visitor at a rate agreed by ASSTA, and claiming the cost of the travel at the agreed rate from the ASSTA treasurer. Meals and other local expenses would be paid by the local group.
7. ASSTA would also re-advertise over the email the extra places where the visitor will go and when. This requires that the necessary information be given to ASSTA to do so. Again, notification of ASSTA in time for advertisement to members is a requirement for obtaining funding. Local advertising will be in the hands of the local group, and ASSTA’s involvement should be acknowledged.
8. Total funds available for this activity will depend on the financial state of the Association but the executive will aim to budget at least $1000 per year for this programme. Airfares reimbursed will be for economy class. Any upgrading over that will be carried by the visitor or the local group.
Adopted by Executive – 26th November 1996
This supersedes the guideline in general use prior to this date
It should be noted that this set of guidelines is not a legally binding document but provides a guideline to practice for the Executive Committ
ASSTA New Researcher Award: Guidelines for Assessment Panel
GENERAL
1. The ASSTA New Researcher Award is intended to foster high quality new researchers in speech science and technology.
2. The award will usually be made every two years to coincide with the SST conferences.
3. Publicity for the award will be circulated to all ASSTA members, and relevant educational institutions, government departments and commercial organisations no later than the start of the year in which the SST conference is to be held. This will be achieved by publicising the award in the ASSTA newsletter and in all SST conference publicity materials.
ASSESSORS
4. Assessors will normally be ASSTA members.
5. A panel will be convened by the ASSTA executive and will consist of a convenor and two others. In selecting members to serve on the panel due regard should be given to the range of papers usually submitted to SST conferences.
6. The assessment panel will normally be appointed for one conference only.
7. The assessment panel will be appointed by the ASSTA executive no later than the start of the year in which the SST conference is to be held.
8. The assessment panel has the power to co-opt additional members should they feel it necessary.
APPLICANTS
9. The award is open to:
a) those currently enrolled in postgraduate studies at an Australian University, as long as they are no more than ten years beyond the awarding of their first degree, measured from the deadline date for submission of the application for the new researcher award; AND
b) those not currently enrolled in postgraduate studies who will be no more than five years beyond the awarding of their highest degree, measured from the deadline date for submission of the application for the new researcher award.
10. The applicant must be carrying out research in Australia.
11. Winners may submit applications on subsequent occasions that the award is offered, but preference will be given by the judges to new applicants.
ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE
12. The application, which should consist of the completed paper and the new-researcher application form, to be submitted to the SST conference technical committee by the due date for conference abstracts.
13. Applicants may submit more than one paper. Each will be considered independently of the others as a separate entry. No applicant may win more than one award, however.
14. Applicants should be either sole or first author of the paper. In the latter case, a statement signed by all authors is required indicating that a minimum of 80% of the paper is the work of the applicant.
15. The papers will first be considered by the SST conference technical committee. Once accepted for presentation at the conference, the applications will be passed on to the appointed panel for assessment.
16. The final decision to accept the application rests with the assessment panel.
17. The panel should not propose editorial changes to the winning entries. Each entry, as judged by the panel, will be published in that form in the proceedings of the following SST conference.
18. Once the panel’s decisions have been made, the convenor of the assessment panel will notify the ASSTA executive and the SST secretariat. This should be at latest three weeks before the submission of camera-ready papers for the SST conference.
19. All applicants will be notified of the panel’s decisions by the ASSTA executive as early as possible but at the latest two weeks before the due date of submission of the camera-ready paper to the SST conference committee.
20. The secretary of the SST conference will arrange for the list of winners to be included in the proceedings of the conference. It is recommended that this be included in the Chairperson’s preface to the proceedings.
THE AWARD
21. Up to three awards may be made for any one conference. However, the assessment panel may recommend no awards be made if it feels no applications of sufficiently high quality have been submitted.
22. The number actually awarded for each conference will depend on the state of ASSTA finances and the quality of the applications received.
23. All applicants will be eligible for all awards made in any year. No awards will be set aside for student applicants or for particular areas of research within the range usually covered by speech science and technology. The assessment panel will take into account, however, the level of experience of all applicants and note that ASSTA wishes to encourage newer researchers.
24. The award to consist of:
a) the cheapest available return airfare or alternative form of travel from the successful applicant’s usual city of work to the city of the next SST conference;
b) Conference registration, cost of the conference dinner, and accommodation at the appointed college for the extent of the conference;
c) A certificate to be presented at the conference dinner.
d) The winners of the award to be mentioned in the conference proceedings.
Adopted by Executive – 27th April 1995
This supersedes the set adopted by Executive on 27th August 1993
It should be noted that this set of guidelines is not a legally binding document but provides a guideline to practice for the Executive Committee.
