Journal of Tiny Web Works.
Open access. Peer reviewed. Vol. 1, No. 1 in preparation. ISSN pending.
Aims & Scope
The Journal of Tiny Web Works (JOTWW) publishes original research and practice notes on the design, implementation, and evaluation of self-contained web works. The journal is open access, has no article processing charges, and is published once per year in a single volume.
Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:
- Game design and engineering: game loops, input handling, collision, state machines, and shipping playable games in vanilla JavaScript or WebAssembly.
- WebAudio and generative music: synthesis, scheduling, generative systems, mixing, and the constraints of building audio in the browser.
- The HTML + Python pair model: backend functions, sandboxing, state, and container isolation.
- Size-constrained development: techniques, trade-offs, and evaluations of the 64KB discipline.
- Infrastructure and tooling: static catalogs, build pipelines, security, and hosting for collections of tiny works.
- Practice notes: short reports on tools, techniques, or experiments relevant to the above.
Submissions must be PG-13, free of sales pitches, and free of political advocacy. The journal does not publish reviews of commercial products.
Editorial Board
The editorial board is being assembled. Roles and appointments are listed below. Names marked TBD are under appointment.
| Role | Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Editor-in-Chief | Michael A. Mabes | tinyfiles.tv |
| Associate Editor, Game Development | TBD | — |
| Associate Editor, WebAudio | TBD | — |
| Associate Editor, Python & Backends | TBD | — |
| Associate Editor, Tools & Infrastructure | TBD | — |
| Managing Editor | TBD | — |
| Review Board | TBD | — |
Researchers and practitioners interested in joining the Review Board should email the Editor-in-Chief. Reviewers are expected to have published or shipped at least one work in the scope of the journal.
Peer Review Process
All submissions are double-blind. Authors should remove identifying information from the manuscript and metadata. Each submission receives a minimum of two reviews. Decisions are one of: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.
- Review turnaround: 6–8 weeks from submission to first decision.
- Revision window: 4 weeks for minor revisions, 8 weeks for major revisions.
- Camera-ready deadline: 3 weeks after acceptance.
- Conflicts of interest: Reviewers must decline any submission where they have a personal or professional conflict. Authors may suggest reviewers but may not require them.
Submission Guidelines
Manuscripts should be submitted as a single file in either LaTeX (source plus a compiled PDF) or Markdown (with a compiled PDF). Papers should not exceed 8 pages, excluding references. Practice notes should not exceed 4 pages.
- Format: LaTeX or Markdown. PDF required for review.
- References: ACM reference format.
- Figures: Each figure must be under 64KB. Figures larger than 64KB should be included as linked supplementary material.
- Code listings: Inline code listings count toward the page limit. Full source archives should be provided as supplementary material.
- Anonymization: Remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, and repository links from the submitted version. These are restored in the camera-ready version.
- Supplementary material: Source archives, datasets, and demo links are encouraged and hosted by the journal.
Publication Schedule
The journal publishes one volume per year, in a single issue. The first volume will be published in Winter 2028 and will include a special section for papers presented at tinycon '28.
- Vol. 1, No. 1: Winter 2028. In preparation.
- Vol. 2, No. 1: Winter 2029. Submission window opens Summer 2028.
Archive
Published issues are listed below. The journal has not yet published an issue.
Vol. 1, No. 1 — Winter 2028
In preparation. This issue will include the special section for tinycon '28. Table of contents will be published when the issue is assembled.
DOIs will be assigned upon publication. The DOI prefix is pending.
Ethics & Licensing
- Authorship: All listed authors must have contributed to the work and approved the submitted version. Ghost authorship and gift authorship are not permitted.
- Prior publication: Submissions must not be under review elsewhere. Conference papers presented at tinycon may be extended for the journal with at least 30% new material and a citation to the original.
- Data and code: Authors are encouraged to make code and data available. Where they cannot, they should state why in the manuscript.
- Licensing: Published articles are licensed under CC BY 4.0 unless the author requests otherwise. Authors retain copyright.
- Corrections: Corrections and retractions are published as separate notices linked to the original article.
FAQ
Is the journal peer reviewed?
Yes. Double-blind, with a minimum of two reviews per submission. The Review Board is being assembled.
Is there a submission fee?
No. The journal has no article processing charges and no submission fees. It is open access.
When will the first issue be published?
Winter 2028. The issue is in preparation. The table of contents will be published when the issue is assembled.
Can I submit a paper presented at tinycon?
Yes, with at least 30% new material and a citation to the conference version. The journal will publish a special section for tinycon '28 papers in Vol. 1, No. 1.
Does the journal have an ISSN?
The ISSN application is pending. The number will be listed here when assigned.
Can I join the Review Board?
Yes, if you have published or shipped at least one work in the scope of the journal. Email the Editor-in-Chief with a short bio and a link to your work.
Is the journal indexed?
Indexing applications will be submitted after the first issue is published. The journal does not currently claim to be indexed in any database.
Contact
Editor-in-Chief: Michael A. Mabes
Email: mikemabes1986@gmail.com
Subject line for submissions: "JOTWW submission"
See also
For the annual awards, see The Annual Awards. For the convention, see tinycon '28. For the spring JavaScript competition, see tinyjam. For the fall Python competition, see python-classic. For the general submission pipeline, see the Submission Criteria.