19th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Software Language Engineering (SLE 2026)
2 - 3 July 2026
Rennes, France

https://conf.researchr.org/home/sle-2026
https://www.sleconf.org/2026/
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We are pleased to invite you to submit papers to the 19th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Software Language Engineering (SLE) which is devoted to the principles of software languages: their design, their implementation, and their evolution. The SLE 2026 conference will be co-located with STAF 2026 and hosted in Rennes, France, on 2 - 3 July 2026.

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Important Dates
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* Abstract submission (all tracks): Friday 27 February 2026
* Paper submission (all tracks): Friday 6 March 2026
* Paper notification (all tracks): Monday 20 April 2026
* Conference: Thursday 2 - Friday 3 July 2026 (co-located with STAF)

All dates are Anywhere on Earth.

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Topics of Interest
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SLE covers software language engineering in general, rather than engineering a specific software language. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

*Software Language Design and Implementation
- Approaches to and methods for language design
- Static semantics (e.g., design rules, well-formedness constraints)
- Techniques for specifying behavioral/executable semantics
- Generative approaches (incl. code synthesis, compilation)
- Meta-languages, meta-tools, language workbenches
- AI-assisted language design and optimisation
* Software Language Quality
- Verification and formal methods for languages
- Testing techniques for languages
- Simulation techniques for languages
- Model-based testing
- AI-assisted validation
* Software Language Integration and Composition
- Coordination of heterogeneous languages and tools
- Mappings between languages (incl. transformation languages)
- Traceability between languages
- Deployment of languages to different platforms
- (AI-assisted) Language refactorings
* Software Language Maintenance
- Software language reuse
- Language evolution
- Language families and variability, language and software product lines
* Domain-specific approaches for any aspects of SLE (design, implementation, validation, maintenance)
* Empirical evaluation and experience reports of language engineering tools
- User studies evaluating usability
- Performance benchmarks
- Industrial applications
* Synergies between Language Engineering and emerging/promising research areas
- Generative AI in language engineering (e.g., AI-based language modelling, AI-driven code generation tools)
- Language engineering for AI. AI and ML language engineering (e.g., ML compiler testing, code classification, DSLs for AI processes and tasks…)
- Quantum language engineering (e.g., language design for quantum machines)
- Language engineering for physical systems (e.g., CPS, IoT, digital twins)
- Socio-technical systems and language engineering (e.g., language evolution to adapt to social requirements)


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Types of Submissions
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SLE accepts the following types of papers:

* Research papers: These are “traditional” papers detailing research contributions to SLE. Papers may range from 6 to 12 pages in length and may optionally include 2 further pages of bibliography/appendices. Papers will be reviewed with an understanding that some results do not need 12 full pages and may be fully described in fewer pages.

* New ideas/vision papers: These papers may describe new, unconventional software language engineering research positions or approaches that depart from standard practice. They can describe well-defined research ideas that are at an early stage of investigation. They could also provide new evidence to challenge common wisdom, present new unifying theories about existing SLE research that provides novel insight or that can lead to the development of new technologies or approaches, or apply SLE technology to radically new application areas. New ideas/vision papers must not exceed 5 pages and may optionally include 1 further page of bibliography/appendices.

* SLE Body of Knowledge: The SLE Body of Knowledge (SLEBoK) is a community-wide effort to provide a unique and comprehensive description of the concepts, best practices, tools, and methods developed by the SLE community. In this respect, the SLE conference will accept surveys, essays, open challenges, empirical observations, and case study papers on the SLE topics. These can focus on, but are not limited to, methods, techniques, best practices, and teaching approaches. Papers in this category can have up to 20 pages, including bibliography/appendices.

* Tool papers: These papers focus on the tooling aspects often forgotten or neglected in research papers. A good tool paper focuses on practical insights that will likely be useful to other implementers or users in the future. Any of the SLE topics of interest are appropriate areas for tool papers. Submissions must not exceed 5 pages and may optionally include 1 further page of bibliography/appendices. They may optionally include an appendix with a demo outline/screenshots and/or a short video/screencast illustrating the tool.

**Workshops**: Workshops will be organised by STAF. Please inform us and contact STAF 2026 organisers if you would like to organise a workshop of interest to the SLE audience. Information on how to submit workshops can be found on the STAF 2026 Website.


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Submission
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SLE 2026 has a single submission round for papers, including a mandatory abstract registration.

Authors of accepted research papers will be invited to submit artefacts.


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Format
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Submissions have to use the ACM SIGPLAN Conference Format “acmart” (https://sigplan.org/Resources/Author/#acmart-format); please make sure that you always use the latest ACM SIGPLAN acmart LaTeX template, and that the document class definition is \documentclass[sigplan,anonymous,review]{acmart}. Do not make any changes to this format!

Ensure that your submission is legible when printed on a black and white printer. In particular, please check that colours remain distinct and font sizes in figures and tables are legible.

To increase fairness in reviewing, a double-blind review process has become standard across SIGPLAN conferences. Accordingly, SLE will follow the double-blind process. Author names and institutions must be omitted from submitted papers, and references to the authors’ own related work should be in the third person. No other changes are necessary, and authors will not be penalized if reviewers are able to infer their identities in implicit ways.

All submissions must be in PDF format. You can access the submission site from the conference website: https://conf.researchr.org/home/sle-2026


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Concurrent Submissions
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Papers must describe unpublished work that is not currently submitted for publication elsewhere as described by SIGPLAN’s Republication Policy (https://www.sigplan.org/Resources/Policies/Republication/). Submitters should also be aware of ACM’s Policy and Procedures on Plagiarism (https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/plagiarism-overview). Submissions that violate these policies will be desk-rejected.

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Policy on Human Participant and Subject Research
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Authors conducting research involving human participants and subjects must ensure that their research complies with their local governing laws and regulations and the ACM’s general principles, as stated in the ACM’s Publications Policy on Research Involving Human Participants and Subjects (https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/research-involving-human-participants-and-subjects). If submissions are found to be violating this policy, they will be rejected.

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Reviewing Process
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All submitted papers will be reviewed by at least three members of the program committee. Research papers and tool papers will be evaluated concerning soundness, relevance, novelty, presentation, validation, and replicability. New ideas/vision papers will be evaluated primarily concerning soundness, relevance, novelty, and presentation. Tool papers will be evaluated concerning relevance, presentation, and replicability.

For fairness reasons, all submitted papers must conform to the above instructions. Submissions that violate these instructions may be rejected without review at the discretion of the PC chairs.


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Artefact Evaluation
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SLE will use an evaluation process to assess the quality of artefacts on which papers are based to foster the culture of experimental reproducibility. Authors of accepted research papers are invited to submit artefacts.

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Awards
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* Distinguished paper: Award for the most notable paper, as determined by the PC chairs based on the recommendations of the program committee.
* Distinguished artefact: Award for the artefact most significantly exceeding expectations, as determined by the AEC chairs based on the recommendations of the artefact evaluation committee.
* Distinguished reviewer: Award for the programme committee member that produced the most useful reviews as assessed by paper authors.
* Most Influential Paper: Award for the SLE 2016 paper with the greatest impact, as judged by the SLE Steering Committee.

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Publication
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All accepted papers will be published in the ACM Digital Library.

**AUTHORS TAKE NOTE**: The official publication date is the date the proceedings are made available in the ACM Digital Library. This date may be up to two weeks prior to the first day of the conference. The official publication date affects the deadline for any patent filings related to published work.

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Organisation
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* General chair: Arnaud Blouin, Univ Rennes, INSA Rennes, Inria, CNRS, IRISA
* PC co-chair: Jordi Cabot, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology
* PC co-chair: Shigeru Chiba, University of Tokyo, Japan

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Contact
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For additional information, clarification, or answers to any questions, please get in touch with the program co-chairs (jordi.cabot@list.lu and chiba@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp).