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Moderator Web UI: Implement enhancements to the existing moderation Web UI to improve the proposal system based on moderator feedback. Also, enable moderators to take multiple actions and commit them together as a set of actions. Develop a new alternate moderator user experience to offer an efficient way for moderators to work on multiple submissions on a single responsive web page. The alternate moderator user experience will provide new paradigm for category management, improved proposal features, and an improved notification scheme to decrease email volume for moderators.
Status: Beta release June 2017; improvements in progress.
Moderation API: Define and implement a new API that provides a service endpoint for all essential operations necessary to support the moderation workflow. The API will be brought forward in to the new arXiv-NG architecture with the intention of it being able to support new applications and user interfaces in the future to support moderation in arXiv-NG.
Status: in progressCompleted.
Upgrade database infrastructure: This is a system operations priority.
Status: in progress (pending CUL lib sys work)
PHP/tapir to PERL/Catalyst: Complete the conversion of PHP code to provide modularity, consistency, and improved maintainability of key parts of arXiv codebase. Migrate functions away from old PHP/Tapir codebase and into Perl/Catalyst (will mostly be done by end of 2016 but a few tasks remain).
Status: will direct effort towards reimplementing as Python/Flask application rather than continuing to rewrite existing code in PERL.
Improve submission error checking: Analyze submission process to identify improvements and minimize submission errors for authors.
Status: analysis of existing system complete; specification of improvements not started.
Author notification of reclassification: Add new features to provide authors with notification about reclassification of their paper. Notifications will provide information about follow-up action that is required (i.e., what action in what timeframe).
Status: not started.
Auto-endorsement: Shift the auto-endorsement rules to work of a single white-list of recognized email domains. Expand the list of email domains that qualify for auto-endorsement. Develop an admin interface to update the auto-endorsement list.
Status: not started.
Submission system security audit: This is a systems operations priority.
Status: in progress.
User Support & Moderation
Author curated links: Based on the findings of the the arXiv user study, improving support for linking research data, code, slides and other materials associated with papers emerged as an important service to expand.
Status: not started.
Publish physics category descriptions: Finalize input from moderators and publish the descriptions on arXiv.org. This work started in 2016 and we hope to complete early 2017.
Status: in progress.
Overlap policy: Implement the SAB Sept 2014 decision that cases of self-overlap get bounced to users before publishing.
Status: not started.
Update Help pages: Assess which section of the Help pages to update in 2017 (submission, moderation, reading/downloading, etc). Rewrite those sections. Identify straggling pages and pages that could be slated for removal.
Status: ongoing.
Systematize arXiv's individual archive pages: The "home" pages for individual archives within arXiv have grown organically over time and are inconsistent with each other and in some cases outdated.
Status: not started.
Process Improvement
Stakeholder communication improvements:Improve the support ticketing process for Admin and SAB for making requests that need development.
- Provide a means for stakeholders to submit requests in a consistent way
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Status: in progress.
- Define best practices for prioritizing and
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- ensuring that requests do not not get lost in the action or become stale
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Status: ongoing.
- Improve process of communicating with stakeholders to ensure that the loop is closed on each request and that the submitter receives updates on status and closure.
Status: ongoing.
Continuous prioritization of development priorities: Modify
- Modify the planning process so that the Roadmap becomes living document that can incorporate changes on a quarterly basis. Evolve development team tactical process to manage backlog and support tickets effectively and enable continuous evaluation of priorities and resources to maximize impact.
Status: ongoing.
- Coordinate the communication between the SAB, the arXiv development and admin teams to ensure a transparent process that engages key stakeholders in a new prioritization process.
Status: ongoing.
Evolve development team tactical process to manage backlog and support tickets effectively and enable continuous evaluation of priorities and resources to maximize impact.
arXiv Workflow and Moderation analysis: Embark on a fresh analysis of workflows for moderators, appellate moderators, and Chairs. Identify and implement process improvements. This will inform both classic arXiv and arXiv-NG. Improve communication to moderators regarding system updates, process improvement, guidelines for moderation, and recruitment. Expand documentation on roles, relationships, and workflows between moderators, appellate moderators, committees, and Chairs.
Status: in progress; specific plans in place for fall 2017.
Business Model, Governance, and Partnership
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