The editors of the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series A are seeking submissions for an upcoming special edition: 'Big Data before Data Science: legacies from the collection, analysis, and communication of large-scale human data from an era of paper tools'.
This special issue is inspired by the December 2025 workshop co-organized by the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS) and the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS).
The call
Data science today is inextricably bound to digital technologies of analysis. Similarly, the paper tools that originated in the 19th century informed the collection, analysis, and communication of data. Even as the paper tools have been replaced by modern machines, many of the associated practices remain. Against the ever-increasing pace of novel standards in speed, efficiency, and computational power, it is imperative carefully and critically to examine the persistent traces of historical precedents and benchmarks in processes of data collection and analysis.
This issue seeks to bring together statisticians, data scientists, and historians to examine the persistent traces of past data practices and their implications for the present and future of the field.
Prospective authors should submit their manuscripts for review by midnight 31 March 2026. Submissions – which should clearly indicate ‘JRSS-A Big Data before Data Science Special Issue’ in the covering letter – should be made online at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jrssa, where further guidance about the structure, length and format of manuscripts may be found.
Consistent with the journal's standard policy, all manuscripts will be peer-reviewed. To produce the special issue in a timely manner, authors will be asked to complete revisions within eight weeks of receiving referee reports. On behalf of the Series A editorial team and as editors of this special issue, we look forward to reviewing your manuscripts.
Deborah Kent (dk89@st-andrews.ac.uk)
Jemma Lorenat (Jemma_Lorenat@pitzer.edu)