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Final Call for Papers

11th International Conference on Tests And Proofs
TAP 2017 Marburg (Germany), 19-20 July 2017

Part of STAF 2017 http://www.seceng.de/tap2017
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Aim and Scope
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The TAP conference promotes research in verification and formal
methods that targets the interplay of proofs and testing: the
advancement of techniques of each kind and their combination, with the
ultimate goal of improving software and system dependability.

Research in verification has recently seen a steady convergence of
heterogeneous techniques and a synergy between the traditionally
distinct areas of testing (and dynamic analysis) and of proving (and
static analysis). Formal techniques, such as model checking, that
produce counterexamples when verification fails are a clear example of
the duality of testing and proving. The combination of static
techniques such as satisfiability modulo theory and predicate
abstraction has provided means of proving correctness by complementing
exhaustive enumeration testing-like techniques. More practically,
testing supports the cost-effective debugging of complex models and
formal specifications, and is applicable in conditions that are beyond
the reach of formal techniques -- for example, components whose source
code is not accessible. Testing and proving are increasingly seen as
complementary rather than mutually exclusive techniques.

The TAP conference aims to promote research in the intersection of
testing and proving by bringing together researchers and practitioners
from both areas of verification.


Topics of Interest
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TAP's scope encompasses many aspects of verification technology,
including foundational work, tool development, and empirical
research. Its topics of interest center around the connection between
proofs (and other static techniques) and testing (and other dynamic
techniques). Papers are solicited on, but not limited to, the
following topics:

- Verification and analysis techniques combining proofs and tests
- Program proving with the aid of testing techniques
- Deductive techniques (theorem proving, model checking, symbolic
execution, SMT solving, constraint logic programming, etc.) to
support testing: generating testing inputs and oracles, supporting
coverage criteria, and so on.
- Program analysis techniques combining static and dynamic analysis
- Specification inference by deductive and dynamic methods
- Testing and runtime analysis of formal specifications
- Model-based testing and verification
- Using model checking to generate test cases
- Testing of verification tools and environments
- Applications of testing and proving to new domains, such as
security, configuration management, and language-based techniques
- Bridging the gap between concrete and symbolic reasoning techniques
- Innovative approaches to verification such as crowdsourcing and
serious games
- Case studies, tool and framework descriptions, and experience
reports about combining tests and proofs


Highlight Topics
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In addition to TAP’s general topics of interests, the 11th edition of
TAP will feature two highlight topics on techniques, tools, and
experience reports on

1. Testing and proving the correctness of security properties and
implementations of cryptographic functions and protocols with a
focus on the successful interplay of tests and proofs, and

2. Asserting the correct functioning and testing of verification
tools, especially on theorem provers, that form the basis of many
verification results for tools and applications our society
increasingly depends on.


Important Dates
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Abstract: 17 February 2017
Paper: 24 February 2017
Notification: 7 April 2017
Camera-Ready Version: 21 April 2017
Conference: 19-20 July 2017


Submission Instructions
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TAP 2017 accepts papers of three kinds:

- Regular research papers: full submissions describing original
research, of up to 16 pages (excluding references).

- Tool demonstration papers: submissions describing the design and
implementation of an analysis/verification tool or framework, of up
to 8 pages (excluding references). The tool/framework described in
a tool demonstration paper should be available for public use.

- Short papers: submissions describing preliminary findings, proofs
of concepts, and exploratory studies, of up to 6 pages (excluding
references).


Organization
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Program Chairs

- Einar Broch Johnsen
- Sebastian Gabmeyer

Program Committee

- Bernhard K. Aichernig
- Elvira Albert
- Bruno Blanchet
- Jasmin C. Blanchette
- Achim D. Brucker
- Catherine Dubois
- Gordon Fraser
- Carlo A. Furia
- Sebastian Gabmeyer (chair)
- Angelo Gargantini
- Alain Giorgetti
- Christoph Gladisch
- Martin Gogolla
- Arnaud Gotlieb
- Marieke Huisman
- Bart Jacobs
- Einar Broch Johnsen (chair)
- Nikolai Kosmatov
- Laura Kovacs
- Martin Leuker
- Panagiotis Manolios
- Karl Meinke
- Andreas Podelski
- Andrew J. Reynolds
- Martina Seidl
- Martin Steffen
- Martin Strecker
- T. H. Tse
- Luca Viganò
- Burkhart Wolff
- Stijn de Gouw


Contact
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mailto:tap2017@easychair.org