Dear Dr. Qwerty:
We are writing you to announce that BBS has just accepted an article for open peer
commentary in BBS. The article was already reviewed, and we are now accepting commentary
proposals. If you are interested in writing a commentary, you are welcome to submit a
short proposal (see instructions below). No action is required if you aren't
interested.
Please DO NOT submit a full commentary article unless you are formally invited---AFTER you
submit a commentary *proposal*. We will review all commentary proposals and issue
invitations around the end of February. Also, please be aware that we typically receive
far more commentary proposals than we can accommodate with formal invitations. When
choosing invitations, we balance over multiple factors, including the interest of the
commentary itself, the commentator's expertise, whether the commentator's work has
been discussed in the target article, and other considerations.
NOW PROCESSING COMMENTARY PROPOSALS ON:
Target Article: "Whatever Next? Predictive Brains, Situated Agents, and the Future of
Cognitive Science"
Authors: Andy Clark
Deadline for Commentary Proposals: March 8, 2012
Abstract: Brains, it has recently been argued, are essentially prediction machines. They
are bundles of cells that support perception and action by constantly attempting to match
incoming sensory inputs with top-down expectations or predictions. This is achieved using
a hierarchical generative model that aims to minimize prediction error within a
bidirectional cascade of cortical processing. Such accounts offer a unifying model of
perception and action, illuminate the functional role of attention, and may neatly capture
the special contribution of cortical processing to adaptive success. The paper critically
examines this 'hierarchical prediction machine' approach, concluding that it
offers the best clue yet to the shape of a unified science of mind and action. Sections 1
and 2 lay out the key elements and implications of the approach. Section 3 explores a
variety of pitfalls and challenges, spanning the evidential, the methodological, and the
more properly conceptual. The
paper ends (sections 4 and 5) by asking how such approaches might impact our more general
vision of mind, experience, and agency.
Keywords: Action, attention, Bayesian brain, expectation, generative model, hierarchy,
perception, precision, predictive coding, prediction, prediction error, top-down
Download Target Article
Preprint:http://journals.cambridge.org/BBSJournal/Call/Clark_preprint
COMMENTARY PROPOSALS *MUST* INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING
1. What aspect of the target article or book you would anticipate commenting on.
2. The relevant expertise you would bring to bear on the target article or book.
Please include names and affiliations of your co-authors, if applicable, in the text of
your commentary proposal.
SUGGESTING COMMENTATORS AND NOMINATING BBS ASSOCIATES
To suggest others as possible Commentators, or to nominate others for BBS Associateship
status, please email bbsjournal(a)cambridge.org.
http://journals.cambridge.org/BBSJournal/Inst/Assoc
HOW TO SUBMIT A COMMENTARY PROPOSAL
If you would like to nominate yourself for potential commentary invitation, you must
submit a Commentary Proposal via our BBS Editorial Manager site:
1. Log-in as Author
Username: CQwerty-545
Password: Qwerty875632
Log-in to your BBS Editorial Manager account as an author:
http://www.editorialmanager.com/bbs
If you do not have an account, please visit the site and register. You can also submit a
request for missing username and password information if you have an existing account.
2. Submit New Manuscript
Within your author main menu please select Submit New Manuscript.
3. Select Article Type
Choose the article type of your manuscript from the pull-down menu. Commentary Proposal
article types are temporarily created for each accepted target article or book. Only
select the Commentary Proposal article type that you wish to submit a proposal on. For
example: "Commentary Proposal (Clark)"
4. Enter Title
Please title your proposal submission by indicating the relevant first author name of the
target article or book. For example: "Commentary Proposal on Clark"
5. Add Co-Authors
If you are proposing to write a commentary with any co-authors, the system will not allow
you to enter their information here. Instead, include their names in the commentary
proposal document you upload. These potential co-authors need not contribute to the
Commentary Proposal itself.
6. Attach Files
The only required submission Item is your Commentary Proposal in MSWord or RTF format. In
the Description field please add the first author name of the target article or book. For
example: "Commentary Proposal on Clark"
7. Approve Your Submission
Editorial Manager will process your Commentary Proposal submission and will create a PDF
for your approval. On the "Submissions Waiting for Author's Approval" page,
you can view your PDF, edit, approve, or remove the submission. (You might have to wait
several minutes for the blue "Action" menu to appear, allowing you to approve.
Once you have Approved the Submission, the PDF will be sent to the editorial office.
**It is VERY important that you check and approve your Commentary Proposal manuscript as
described above. Otherwise, we cannot process your submission.**
8. Editorial Office Decision
At the conclusion of the Commentary Proposal period, the editors will review all the
submitted Commentary Proposals. An undetermined number of Commentary Proposals will be
approved and those author names will be added to the final commentary invitation list. At
that time you will be notified of the decision. If you are formally invited to submit a
commentary, you will be asked to confirm your intention to submit by the commentary
deadline.
Note: Before the commentary invitations are sent, the copy-edited and revised target
article will be posted for invitees. In the case of Multiple Book Review, invitees will be
sent a copy of the book to be commented upon if requested. With Multiple Book Reviews, it
is the book, not the précis article that is the target of commentary.
Please do not write a commentary unless you have received an official invitation!
BEING REMOVED FROM THE CALL EMAIL LIST
If you DO NOT wish to receive Call for Commentary Proposals in the future, please reply to
bbsjournal(a)cambridge.org, and type "remove" in the subject line.
Regards,
Gennifer Levey
Managing Editor, BBS
Cambridge University Press
bbsjournal(a)cambridge.org
http://journals.cambridge.org/bbs
http://bbs.edmgr.com/