Special Citations Guidelines

IEEE Milestones Special Citation in History Program

The IEEE Special Citation in History is administered similarly to the IEEE Milestones Program. Special Citation proposals use the same submission form, and the proposal is reviewed by an advocate and acted upon by the IEEE History Committee and IEEE Board of Directors according to the same process as a Milestone proposal. Milestone Program Guidelines

A special citation is intended to recognize museums, libraries, archives, or other historic sites engaged in the preservation of technical history for their achievement in preserving the history of significant technical achievements in all areas associated with IEEE (per IEEE Bylaw I-104.11) and in making that history available to scholars, researchers, and the public in a way that is of at least regional importance. The designated fields are: Engineering, Computer Sciences and Information Technology, Physical Sciences, Biological and Medical Sciences, Mathematics, Technical Communications, Education, Management, and Law and Policy. In order to be proposed for an IEEE Special Citation in Electrical Engineering and Computing, a museum, archive, or other historic site must have been open to the public for twenty-five years or more.

The difference between a Milestone proposal and a Special Citation in History proposal is that a Milestone proposal recognizes a particular technical achievement; a Special Citation in History recognizes work that has been done preserving history. A site which has been proposed or approved as a Milestone may not receive a Special Citation in History. Special Citations in History do not recognize individual persons, nor do they recognize a university course of study or a department. Special Citations in History may recognize achievements in preserving technological history by engineering and technical associations.

In proposing a special citation, some elements to consider in the supporting material are:

How long has the museum/archives/historical site been open? How many visitors does it receive in a year? What special artifacts, papers, or other scholarly resources does it contain, and how are these displayed to the public and/or made available to researchers. Have materials in the collection been cited in books or articles?

When proposing a special citation, please include the words “Special Citation in History” in the title of your proposal, e.g. “Museum of History of Electronics, Special Citation in History.” Similar to Milestones, a year or year range must be given in the title of the citation. (The title of the citation is different from the title of the proposal.) The year should be the year of the opening of the institution to the public.

The plaque will read: IEEE SPECIAL CITATION IN HISTORY

Here is an example of a citation plaque text approved by IEEE:

                                            IEEE SPECIAL CITATION IN HISTORY

                                                    Computer History Museum, 1979

The Computer History Museum's mission is to preserve and present for posterity the artifacts and stories of the Information Age. The museum houses the world's largest collection of computers and related software, documents, and visual media. Public exhibits celebrate the rich history of computing, aided by a speaker series, education activities, historical restorations, and research programs.

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